Miss Tyler, Hayley Cooper will be competing for the Miss Texas USA title this weekend. Hayley is a 21-year-old former MyTJCnews staff writer and recently transferred from TJC to Texas A&M; Commerce.
So how did you get involved with the Miss Texas pageant?
I’ve always been pretty interested in the Miss Texas USA pageant, I would always keep up with who won, and watch the Miss USA pageant every year so after a lot of research and talking to people I decided it was something I’d like to try this year.
Pageants seem pretty high maintenance, does that aspect make you feel like you’re out of your element?
As surprising as it is, pageantry isn’t as high maintenance as someone would think. It takes A LOT of hard work and dedication to be good so if anything its over whelming. I’ve had to go to Dallas and Houston for meetings and training multiple times a week for about three months now so it’s been a lot. As of right now I don’t really feel out of my element because I’m just really focused on training but I’m not sure how I’ll be at the actual pageant since it’s my first one.
Would you recommend TJC to others?
I definitely would recommend TJC to others. It is one of the best junior colleges there is and I learned so much about journalism and writing from TJC, even more than I learned at my time at Texas A&M.; I think it’s a great place to get your associates and learn from before transferring to a major university. It’s also very affordable which helps.
If you’re elected Miss Texas, how do you plan on getting involved with the community?
Graduating from a college prep private school, community service is something I’ve been very involved with since I was 13. There are a lot of organizations I have worked with and still work closely with that I plan on continuing volunteering for. A few local ones close to my heart are SKAD (http://stealkillanddestroy.com/) and For The Silent (http://forthesilent.org/). I would love to be able to bring a spotlight to those, help them grow, and get more funding and awareness.
Be sure to tune in to the Miss Texas USA pageant online or through your local television provider. Links to the pay-per-view and more can be found at http://www.misstexasusa.com/
