On Sunday, Apr. 16 at 6 p.m., members of the Wofford community gathered in Leonard Auditorium to watch the inaugural Miss Wofford Scholarship Pageant.
The pageant included six first-year students, five sophomores, three juniors and one senior.
While many other colleges and universities in the state have a pageant, this is the first one for Wofford.
The idea came from Promise Henry ’25, who competed in the South Carolina Collegiate Pageant last year as a Wofford representative.
“After representing Wofford at the South Carolina Collegiate Pageant, I was able to bring this idea to Talicia Murphy and Dean Lemere to bring it to life since it is a student activity,” Henry said. “We were able to work together to get funds from the school and set a ticket price. Since I wanted this to be a scholarship pageant, I reached out to Campus Union, and they approved $1,000 for it to be used for the scholarship.”
The pageant’s winner would receive the scholarship and earn the title of Miss Wofford.
When Henry was touring colleges, it stuck out to her that Wofford did not have a scholarship pageant.
“When I learned we had a Mr. Wofford, though it is not taken as seriously as a traditional pageant, it seemed odd that there was not one for women to compete in, especially with the number of pageant girls we have on campus,” Henry said.
Her goal was to provide one woman with the chance to serve the Wofford community, earn a scholarship and get more involved on campus and in the surrounding Spartanburg community.
The pageant itself included an interview round, which is done with the judges and no audience, as well as a “Wofford Wear” section, opening number and evening gowns.
Wofford Wear included the contestants sporting black, gold and white outfits to show their personality and school spirit. The evening gown portion was consistent with other pageants as well as the opening number.
Charlotte Barker ’24 was crowned Miss Wofford 2023 at the end of the pageant.
“I had done a few pageants in high school, which taught me a lot about interviews and confidence, and I was looking for more experience in that aspect as well as the scholarship,” Barker said. “So, after talking with Promise, I decided that this was something I wanted to do.”
The seats of Leonard Auditorium were filled for the pageant and the cheers of support from friends and family encouraged Barker and many of the other contestants.
“Hearing my friends cheer for me when I walked on stage was the greatest feeling in the world and gave me a boost of confidence that I didn’t know I needed,” Barker said. “I love being on the stage, as I grew up doing competitive dance and pageants, so it’s always good to hear words of encouragement from the crowd.”
Barker was unsure of who was going to win and was just excited to gain more interview skills and spend time with the girls competing.
“I did not go in with any expectation of winning but when they called my name, my jaw hit the floor,” Barker said. “I truly was not expecting it. You can see in the videos the absolute shock on my face. I want to thank the judges because they saw something in me that I truly did not see in myself.”
The judges were Miss SC Pageant Circuit Judges Bobby Holcolmbe, Jessica Holcolmb, Anna Bowles, Blake Kirsch and Molly O’Dell.
Both Henry and Barker mentioned the confidence that one gains from doing pageants because of the amount of work each girl puts in, as well as the interview skills they gain. They say that the benefits go beyond the stage.
“I would encourage anyone interested, even if you have never done a pageant, to sign up because it is more than just standing on a stage and smiling,” Barker said. “It really does help you in so many aspects of life, especially interview skills and confidence.”
Henry hopes to raise the scholarship amount in future years, but for right now the amount will stay the same.
The Miss Wofford Scholarship Pageant will happen again next year. The exact date and time will be determined at a later date.
