UT Martin well represented at Miss Tennessee Pageant

Posted: Wednesday, June 9, 2010 8:01 pm

MARTIN — Three University of Tennessee at Martin students will join contestants from across the state in the Miss Tennessee Pageant June 16-19. Final competition is at 8 p.m. June 19 at the Carl Perkins Civic Center in Jackson.
Miss University of Tennessee at Martin Taren Hatcher of Greenfield, Miss Rhythm of Nashville and a former Miss Tennessee Soybean Festival (2009) Hannah-Wade Powell of Alamo and Miss Tipton County Leah Rogers of Brighton, all UT Martin students, along with Miss Tennessee Soybean Festival Loren Dean of Brighton, will compete.
Miss Hatcher, 20, is an integrated studies K-6 major. She will perform a vocal selection for the talent portion of the competition. Miss Powell, 21, was among the 10 semifinalists in 2008 and 2009 Miss Tennessee pageants. She is a criminal justice major and will perform a vocal selection. Miss Rogers, 19, will perform a monologue for her talent selection. She is an elementary education major. Miss Dean, 19, is a student at Mississippi State University and will perform a vocal selection.
“All contestants will have their first official Miss Tennessee duty Sunday at the Old Hickory Mall in Jackson with a meet-and-greet session. The public is encouraged to attend,” said Hollie Holt, Miss UT Martin/Miss Tennessee Soybean Festival director.
“All four ladies have been preparing for this competition since winning their respective preliminaries pageants. They have all been busy refining their talent selections, selecting their wardrobes, becoming physically fit and promoting their platforms, community service and the importance of education, while still being full-time students. Having three contestants from UT Martin vying for the Miss Tennessee crown is an honor for the school, and I feel as though they will represent our university well.”
Miss Tennessee contestants compete in swimsuit, talent, eveningwear, interview and on-stage questions. During the competition, contestants will win more than $75,000 in scholarship funds. The winner of Miss Tennessee 2010 becomes the Governor’s Official Spokesman for a Safe and Drug-Free Tennessee. Miss Tennessee will compete for the title of Miss America in January 2011.
For more information about the Miss Tennessee Scholarship Program, visit www.misstennessee.org.
Published in The Messenger 6.9.10