For those who have only heard about the “Miss America Pageant” or “Toddlers and
Tiaras”, the Miss Auburn Scholarship Pageant is about much more than how these young
women look in evening gowns and bathing suits.
The Miss Auburn Scholarship Pageant was held last weekend at the Performing Arts
Center in Auburn. The two-night event, Fri. Feb. 3 and Sat. Feb. 4, celebrated the
50th year of Miss Auburn’s affiliation in the Miss America program. This year there
were 22 contestants. They competed in 5 phases; talent (worth 35% of their score),
private interview (25%), evening wear (20 %), life style and fitness in swimsuit
(15%) and on stage interview (5%).
The winners and runners-up have an impressive list of scholarship honors, leadership
roles, career ambitions, and accomplishments. This is complimented by their poise,
talent, and beauty. This year’s winner, crowned Miss Auburn, Tera Sabo, exemplifies
the best of these qualities! She scored high marks in each phase of the competition.
This year’s runners-up are Salina Ellison, first runner-up, second runner-up Stephanie
Burger, third was Hannah Woods, fourth Jessica Justice, and fifth runner-up Gabrielle
Bonner.
The Miss Auburn Scholarship Pageant, sponsored by the Noon Lions Club, is one of
the largest, most successful pageants in the United States. This year it generated
more than $58,000 in gifts, awards, and scholarships for the contestants. Tera Sabo,
crowned this year’s Miss Auburn, walks away with more than $10,000 in gifts, awards,
and scholarships. She earns the honor of representing Auburn for one year, as well
as automatically qualifying for the Miss Washington pageant to be held in July.
Tera Sabo is a recent graduate of Tahoma High School. She will be completing her
AA degree in business this spring. Sabo began her college work while she was in
high school at Tahoma High through the Running Start Program. She plans to attend
Seattle Pacific University next fall. Sabo would like to obtain her MBA emphasizing
social enterprises with a minor in global and urban ministries. She is active in
her church and community as a youth group leader and mentor. She has organized community
blood and clothing drives, fundraisers for mission trips, and a bi-monthly hiking
club. Sabo has also participated in mission trips herself in Mexico and here in
an impoverished community in California.
She competed on the platform in support of Big Brothers Big Sisters, and is waiting
to be matched up with a “Little Sister” in their mentoring program. If all this
weren’t enough to keep an academically motivated student busy, Tera Sabo also stays
physically active. She was a high school varsity swimmer and has achieved 9 out
of 15 Tae Kwon Do belts in 6 years in the sport.
When interviewed after the Pageant about her win, Tera Sabo was quoted as saying,
“It means a great deal to me. I just can’t believe that it actually happened. I’m
so thankful that God chose me to be in this place right now.”
(Photo by Select Photography)
By Wendy Edwards - Posted on February 20, 2012