Current and former students of the University of Central Arkansas were among the top contenders in the 2007 Miss Arkansas pageant, including the winner, Katie Bailey, who was crowned in Hot Springs on Saturday night.
Bailey, the new Miss Arkansas, is enrolled at UCA, where she is a candidate for a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA).
This year’s First Runner-Up, Chanley Painter, graduated from UCA last month. In fact, four of the top-10 finalists were UCA students or graduates: Bailey, Painter, Sarah Slocum and Ashlen Batson.
Of the 44 total contestants in the 2007 Miss Arkansas pageant, 14 were UCA students or graduates, accounting for 31 percent of the total, and representing various regions of the state. They included:
Cassie Jo Sanderlin – Miss Ashley County
Lauren Wilson – Miss Batesville
Sarah Slocum – Miss Conway
Chanley Painter – Miss Diamond Lakes
Alicia Haflich – Miss Heart of the Ozarks
Brittany Foster – Miss Johnson County
Erin Kay – Miss Lake Dardanelle
Rebekah Gardner – Miss Metro
Ashlen Batson – Miss Red River Valley
Jennifer Lynn – Miss Spirit of Arkansas
Dawn Hughes – Miss Texarkana
Jamie Simpson – Miss UCA
Katie Bailey – Miss South Arkansas
Kyla Horton – Miss North Central Arkansas
UCA graduate Eudora Mosby won the 2005 Miss Arkansas Pageant and went on to be a top-10 finalist in the Miss America Pageant.