2011 Miss SMC Crowned

02/15/11

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Spartanburg, SC - Spartanburg Methodist College on Saturday night crowned sophomore Kayla Jackson as its 2011 Miss SMC.

Jackson, from Lugoff, SC and a graduate of Lugoff-Elgin High School, is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Everet Jackson, Sr.

"It was a complete shock to me when they announced my name as Miss SMC because I wasn't expecting it at all, epecially since I had been feeling sick all week so to win even then caught me completely off guard," says Jackson.

Jackson adds, "SMC has been one of the greatest experiences of my life because it has been such a great transition for me from high school and now on to a 4-year institution. I am humbled beyond belief and so grateful that I was given this honor. Being recognized my all my SMC family is one of the greatest feelings in the world."

Kayla Susie, a freshman from Greer, SC, and a graduate of Blue Ridge High School, was named 1st Runner Up. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Susie.

Other award recipients included:

• Miss Photogenic - Nikki Gidney, a freshman from Chesnee, SC, and a graduate of Chesnee High School

• Miss Congeniality - Robin Robinson, a sophomore from Goose Creek, SC and a graduate of Goose Creek High School

Other pageant contestants included:

• Randi Arsenault, a freshman from Ware Shoals, SC (Ware Shoals HS)

• Kayla Dyson, a sophomore from Taylors, SC (Eastside HS)

• Kate Newman, a freshman from Gilbert, SC (Gilbert HS)

• Mimi Peake, a sophomore from Duncan, SC (James F. Byrnes HS)

• Jasmine Turner, a freshman from Chester, SC (Chester HS)

"The Miss SMC 2011 Pageant was a well-executed, lovely event that showcased the very special place that SMC is. I wish that the warmth brought by our former May Day Queens  could be shared with everyone," says SMC president Dr. Colleen Keith.

Two former Miss SMCs, including 2010 Miss SMC Jerica Lemon, of Spartanburg; and three former May Day Queens, from the late 1940s and early 1950s, attended the pageant and were honored at a special luncheon earlier in the day with the 2011 contestants.

SMC director of student activities and leadership development Kim Day adds, "The Miss SMC pageant is a great way to pass the history and tradition of the college on from one generation to the next, and honor the accomplishments of the women who leave such a strong legacy at SMC."

The 2011 Miss SMC student pageant committee was comprised of sophomores Emily Amick, of Chapin, SC;  Kionne Epps, of Murrells Inlet, SC; and Austen Woods, of Simpsonville, SC.

Spartanburg Methodist College is in its 100th 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 Brian Fulkerson, director of public information, at (864) 587-4254 or publicinfo@smcsc.edu