The week of June 5, 47 amazing candidates competed for the job of Miss Utah in Salt Lake City at the Capitol Theatre.
Our very own Miss Garfield, Hope Peterson, had the amazing opportunity to go and compete. In preparation she served the people of Garfield County by volunteering at many local and community events, and sharing her Community Service Initiative (CSI), “Join the Happiness Project,” to the high schools in the county.
The Competition Begins with Shoes, Interviews, and Talents!
To start off the week of Miss Utah, all of the candidates participate in the “Show Me Your Shoes” parade. They decorate a shoe of their choice and dress up accordingly. It can be in correlation with their CSI or where they are from. Our Miss Garfield chose to decorate her shoes with hoodoos to highlight the beautiful Bryce Canyon area.
The candidates then got a rehearsal day, and then the competition began! There are five categories to the competition. First is the 10-minute private interview held with the panelists. That is worth 30% of the accumulating score. This is where the panelists really get to know each candidate by talking about their resume, what they’ve done throughout their year, and what they plan to accomplish with the job of Miss Utah in correlation to their CSI.
The first night of competition Hope performed her talent (worth 20%) also known as HerStory. Hope gave a performance in American Sign Language to “Be a Light” by Thomas Rhett.
Fitness and Evening Wear
The next day of competition, there was a show in the afternoon and in the evening. That afternoon Hope did her fitness portion (worth 20%), highlighting how she chose to stay healthy mentally and physically. She stated that she “started eating healthier, and got more daily exercise.”
That evening she answered her onstage question (worth 10%). She was asked how she could encourage youth to open up about their internal struggles. Hope answered by saying, “It starts with the one person daring to be open enough to just share that story, share it to help somebody. Then have that be reciprocated with our support systems that we create and we use prosocial activities and behaviors in order to create that connection and create the internal effect of being able to be open about our situations.”
She later presented herself onstage during the Evening Wear portion (worth 20%). This is where the panelists judge on how well they carry themselves and portray their confidence. The Little Misses then escorted the candidates off the stage.
Last Day: Crowning of Miss Utah and Afterward Celebration
June 10 was the last day of the competition, where the number of candidates would be reduced to fifteen, ten, and then five throughout the competition evening. As the candidates performed the opening number one last time, the energy was ecstatic onstage and in the audience, everyone waiting to see who the top 15 candidates would be. Sadly, as well as our Miss Garfield did, she did not make it to the top 15.
The rest of the night commenced until it was time to call everyone back out to see who our Miss Utah 2023 would be. The top four runner ups were called, and finally it was time. Sarah Sun was announced as Miss Utah 2023, making history being the first Chinese American woman crowned as Miss Utah.
After the competition, there was an award gala, where Hope was awarded second runner up for the social media challenge! There was food, celebration, dancing, and the first address of our Miss Utah 2023 where Sarah shared the love she had for God and the love God had for all of the candidates.
Miss Garfield’s Favorite Part of the Miss Utah Competition
Hope was asked what her favorite part of competition was, and she said it was “how kind the girls and everyone was. The way they pushed you to be better. It was truly humbling to be surrounded and associated with such girls. They were the girls that you have looked up to your whole life and strive to be, as a titleholder.”
“Sarah Sun, the recently crowned Miss Utah,” she added, “would go out of her way to make it a comfortable environment for everyone, even though she was a first year.”
Even offstage the uplifting energy the girls had for each other was infectious. They all supported each other wholeheartedly and really did love each other.
“The sisterhood is real. It is something I’ll cherish for a long time. It pushed me out of my comfort zone and it made me a better person,” said Hope.
– by McKynlee Cottam (18) Escalante
Feature image caption: Hope Peterson, Miss Garfield 2022-23, performs in the opening number at the Miss Utah competition.
All pictures courtesy McKynlee Cottam and Mindy Peterson.
McKynlee Cottam – Escalante
McKynlee Cottam is a junior writer, and sometimes editor, at The Byway. She is a senior at Escalante High School. This year she’s had the opportunity to be the school’s Student Body President and Miss Garfield’s Outstanding Teen. McKynlee loves to write about things that are going on in our county and world, as well as some fun out-of-hat pieces. She enjoys playing the violin, participating in basketball, and of course hanging out with her friends. The Byway has been a fun part of her life, and she hopes to keep contributing to it for some time!