The title of Miss UAFS 2018 will be up for grabs this month when 13 University of
Arkansas – Fort Smith students compete in the university’s annual scholarship pageant
held at 7 p.m. Feb. 24 at the ArcBest Performing Arts Center, located at 55 S. 7th
St.
Special guests for the pageant include Miss Arkansas Maggie Benton, Miss UAFS 2017 Logan Moore and master of ceremonies Daren Bobb and Erica Thomas, both with 5 News.
Contestants for Miss UAFS 2018 are:
- Mary Beth Andrews, 19, of West Fork, daughter of Stan and Kristi Andrews of West Fork. A dental hygiene major, Andrews’ talent will be a sign-language dance, and her platform is “You Are Enough.”
- Lela Belleton, 18, of Little Rock, daughter of Deborah Hansberry of Little Rock and Larry Belleton of Atlanta. An English major, Belleton will present a spoken word performance as her talent, with her platform being “Tutoring Inner City Youth in Literacy.”
- Sidney Bieker, 18, of Fort Smith, daughter of Brent and Jackie Bieker of Fort Smith. A biology major, Bieker will perform a dance routine for her talent and is promoting the platform “Food for the Nations.”
- Kayla Canada, 21, of Magazine, daughter of Robert and Amber Canada of Magazine. A biology major, Canada’sata talent is singing and her platform is “Girls, Inc.”
- Tori Easton, 20, of Fort Smith, daughter of Doug and Robyn Croop of Fort Smith and Dewayne Easton of Pocola, Okla. Easton is a criminal justice major who will perform an acrobatic dance routine for her talent and whose platform is stopping bullying.
- Marley Littleton, 18, of Magazine, daughter of Albert and Aimee Littleton of Magazine. A business marketing major, Littleton will sing for her talent and promote the platform “Sanctity over Science.”
- Kaitlyn Morris, 19, of Poteau, Okla., daughter of Tracey and Jennifer Morris of Poteau, Okla. An accounting major, Morris will speed paint for her pageant talent. Her platform is arts education.
- Nastassja Morton, 18, of Bowie, Maryland, daughter of Tori Monroe and Lisa Smith of Bowie, Maryland. Morton is a media communications major and will dance for her pageant talent. Her platform is women’s rights.
- Tori Seaman, 20, of West Fork, daughter of Brett and DeAnne Seaman of West Fork. Seaman is a radiography major and will conduct a CPR demonstration for her talent, with her platform being “American Heart Association: Generation of Lifesavers.”
- Elizabeth Spencer, 20, of Fort Smith, daughter of Dwight and Cherie Spencer of Sallisaw, Okla. Spencer is a nursing major and will sing for her talent. Her platform is “Safe and Sound: Healthy Habits for Life.”
- Alesha Thach, 18, of Fort Smith, daughter of Nguyet Than and Tan Thach of Fort Smith. Thach majors in biology, will sing for her talent and will promote the platform “Overcoming Limitations: Reaching for the Stars.”
- Allison Thompson, 21, of Fort Smith, daughter of Regina and David Thompson of Fort Smith. Thompson majors in early childhood education and will tap dance for her talent, with her platform being “We the People: Increasing Government and Community Involvement.”
- Niki Waters, 20, of Booneville, daughter of Steve and Kim Waters of Booneville. A music education major, Waters will perform a vocal solo for her talent and will have the platform of “Bent but Not Broken: Scoliosis Awareness.”
The Miss UAFS pageant is a preliminary to the Miss Arkansas and Miss America scholarship programs. Stacey Jones, associate vice chancellor for campus and community events, directs the Miss UAFS pageant and is a producer for the Miss Arkansas pageant.
The contestants will be joined on stage by 28 princesses and princes participating in this year’s Princess/Prince Program, a non-competitive program allowing children ages 5-10 to participate in pageant-related events.
Tickets for the scholarship pageant are $10 and available online at http://uafs.universitytickets.com or by calling the UAFS Box Office at 479-788-7300.
For more information on the pageant or the Princess Pageant, contact Sherry Card by telephone at sherry.card@uafs.edu 479-788-7301.