On Oct. 26, after five years of absence, Samford is reviving the Miss Samford scholarship competition. This will be the first time most undergraduate students will experience this competition, despite Samford’s longstanding tradition of hosting Miss Samford.
In 1948, Samford began the competition, allowing female students an opportunity to compete for major scholarship funds and a unique platform to promote their own charitable endeavors.
Samford held Miss Samford competitions up until 2019, with the last Miss Samford winner being Madison Ward.
The competition entered its 5-year hiatus due to the COVID pandemic, and it has laid dormant ever since, despite demand from previous contestants and current students for it to return.
Now, the competition is seeing its grand return, co-directed by Lori and Jody Hunt and with assistance from previous Miss Samford winners, like Ward.
Lori Hunt was 1988’s Miss Maryland, and her husband Jody serves as Samford’s current General Counsel. Both have a long history working with the organization and are excited to be a part of Miss Samford’s return to campus.
Samford has not held its own Miss competition despite the Miss Alabama competition being hosted in the Wright Center each year. Samford has also been the only major university in the state to not hold its own Miss competition for the past few years.
Both Mrs. and Mr. Hunt are excited for the competition’s return.
“There has been so much enthusiasm for it. The only challenge has been getting the word out regarding the event.” Lori Hunt said, when asked about the return of Miss Samford.
“We have had a rich legacy with it and it’s something we have needed to start up again,” Jody Hunt said, concerning the revival.
“The pageant allows the university to showcase its students. We have a lot of intelligent, talented, and articulate students,” Lori Hunt said.
Beauty pageants are under heavy criticism nowadays due to a myriad of factors, but Lori Hunt assured students that Miss Samford is distinctly not a beauty pageant.
“Beauty pageants do not require you to be driven, scholarly minded, and oriented towards community service and involvement,” she said.
Miss Samford will serve as a sort of ambassador for the school and will be involved in promoting events on campus as well as in the community. The participant chosen for Miss Samford will also win $15,000 in scholarships, and the runners up will receive scholarships as well.
Miss Samford takes place on October 26th at 7:00pm in the Wright Center, and student tickets will be entirely free.
“I am most excited to see school spirit for it with students getting behind it. We want students to go there to support these young women who will play a major role in events on campus and in the community,” Lori Hunt said.
Students who are interested in participating can visit the Miss Samford page on the Samford website to learn more.
Staff Writer
