Spartanburg Native Named “Miss SMC”

03/30/10

Spartanburg, SC -- A Spartanburg County native was recently named Spartanburg Methodist College's first Miss SMC in more than five years.

Jerica Lemon, a sophomore from Spartanburg, received the honors of being named the 2010 Miss SMC.  Lemon competed in the pageant on a platform for Relay for Life.

As Miss SMC, Lemon receives a $500 scholarship.

Lemon, 20, is involved in the Spartanburg-area Relay for Life, is an Upward basketball coach, a committee member of the 2010 Miss Spartanburg pageant, and was Miss Spartanburg Teen 2007. She plans to transfer to the University of South Carolina at Aiken and major in Broadcast Journalism and Communications.

Erica Barnes, a freshman from Anderson, SC, was named First Runner Up, and receives a $250 scholarship.  

Barnes, 19, is a member of the SMC cheerleading squad. She is involved in print modeling and is also a member of the Jaycees, a fundraising program for mentally challenged children.  She plans to transfer to the University of South Carolina and major in Radiology.

Other pageant award recipients included:

• Brianda Zuniga, a freshman from Gilbert, SC, was named Miss Congeniality. This award was voted on by the contestants.
• Jessica Buzhardt, a freshman from Batesburg, SC, was named Miss Photogenic. This award was voted on by the audience.

The judging panel for the pageant included 2008 SMC alumnus Danessa Kilpatrick; Jocelyn Roper, USC Upstate's 2009 Miss Alpha Phi Alpha; Bobby Holcombe, director of financial aid at USC Union; and chairman Ann Bowles, SMC's vice president for academic affairs.

The Miss SMC pageant had been discontinued in 2003, but was reinstated due to an increased level of interest.

"Everyone was excited about the idea of having this again. And we had some very talented ladies compete in this. We hope to continue this for a long time," says SMC director of student activities and leadership development Kim Day.

She says plans are already underway for the 2011 Miss SMC pageant, to be held in the college's centennial year, and the college hopes to invite back former Miss SMC winners .

Spartanburg Methodist College is in its 99th academic year of providing quality education to students in a Christian environment.  More than 90 percent of SMC graduates continue their education at other institutions of higher learning.

For more information, contact Kim Day, director of student activities and leadership development, at (864) 587-4006 or Brian Fulkerson, director of public information, at (864) 587-4254.