The Scenic City titleholders at the Miss Tennessee Pageant were recognized for their community service endeavors and academic achievement at Friday’s Parent and Family Luncheon in Jackson.
Miss Chattanooga Jaclyn Torrento received the Miss Tennessee State Quality of Life Award for her creation of the youth volunteerism program Hands 2 Larger Service and was first runner-up for the State Children’s Miracle Network Miracle Maker Award. The soon to be graduate of Belmont University organized a golf tournament and a fundraiser pageant resulting in over $4000 in donations. This is the second straight year that Miss Torrento has received a state commendation for her philanthropic activities and she was awarded a $1,000 scholarship.
Miss Metropolitan Darby Schumacher also received a $1,000 grant as the recipient of the Miss America State Academic Scholarship. he Baylor School graduate is an incoming freshman at Stanford University where she will major in Computer Science and Product Design. Her career goal is to be the founder and CEO of a biotechnology company. Miss Schumacher was also instrumental in arranging five-year-old Ema McLaughen’s visit to Jackson to meet outgoing Miss Tennessee Shelby Thompson and the pageant contestants. Ema, who lives in Ooltewah with her parents, Hunter and Chara, has had nine surgeries as a result of having hydrocephalus and it was her wish to attend the pageant. The visit has received major media coverage throughout the state in hopes of raising awareness of hydrocephalus which is an excessive buildup of water in the brain ventricles.
Miss Tennessee Valley Hayley Lewis who won Thursday’s talent preliminary was the first runner-up for the State Quality of Life Award. The Philanthropic chair of Phi Mu Sorority at Belmont University and her sorority sisters have organized several fundraisers for CMN including fashion shows and dance marathons. CMN is also her personal community service platform.
The final round of preliminaries will be held on Friday night and the top 15 will compete in Saturday’s finale where at evening’s end Miss Thompson will crown her successor as Miss Tennessee 2014.
The pageant is being web streamed at www.eplustv6.com starting at 9 p.m.