Southeastern Louisiana University

Nine students compete for Miss Southeastern 2012 title

Contact: Tonya Lowentritt

10/5/11

Corsentino	Harris	Jarreau	Putnam	Richardson
Ruby	Schayot	Williams	Wright

     HAMMOND – Nine Southeastern Louisiana University students will compete on Oct. 15, for the title of Miss Southeastern 2012. 
     Gabrielle Palma of Mandeville, Miss Southeastern 2011, will crown her successor in the annual pageant scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Pottle Music Building Auditorium.
     Sponsored by the Campus Activity Board, the pageant has been a part of Southeastern’s history since 1949 and a Miss America preliminary since 1962. Tickets are available at the CAB office in the Student Union, room 201. Admission is free, but an assigned ticket from CAB is still needed for admission. 

     For those unable to attend the pageant, it will be streamed live by the Southeastern Channel at www.selu.edu/tv/miss and at www.selu.edu/cab.  The Southeastern Channel will also air the pageant on a tape-delayed basis on Charter Cable Channel 18 in Tangipahoa, Livingston, and St. Tammany parishes and on Charter Channel 17 in Washington Parish.
     “This year we are celebrating our 50th year being associated with the Miss America preliminaries. The theme of the 2012 Pageant is ‘A Touch of Gold,’” said CAB Coordinator Todd McElroy. 
     Emcees for the event are Veda Abene, manager of administration and operations in the Division of Extended Studies, and Michael Kyles, a Southeastern graduate and teacher at Hammond High Magnet School.
     Contestants for the title are freshman kinesiology major Averi Harris,  junior speech education major Alexis Wright, and junior general studies major Crystal Schayot, all of Slidell;  freshman business major Olivia Ruby and freshman vocal performance major Bethany Putnam, both of Mandeville;  junior nursing major Samantha Williams, Voorhees, New Jersey; freshman mass communications and journalism major Lexi Corsentino and senior biological sciences major Maya Richardson, both of Baton Rouge,  and sophomore middle school education major Jennifer Jarreau of Denham Springs.
     The contestants will compete in five categories: personal interview, on-stage question, swimsuit, talent and evening wear.
     McElroy said the pageant will again feature the “Miracle Maker Award” as a way of collecting donations for the Miss America’s national platform, the Children’s Miracle Network. 
     “The contestant whose container has the most donations will win the Miracle Maker Award,” he said. “The donations will benefit the Children’s Miracle Network.”
     Containers for donations in each 2012 contestant’s name will be available in the War Memorial Student Union Mall until the day of the pageant and in the Pottle lobby on the night of the pageant. 
     Miss Southeastern 2012 will advance to the Miss Louisiana Pageant in June in Monroe.
For additional information, call 985 549 3805.