THE ROANOKE TIMES MONDAY, JUNE 25, 2012

Meet the 26 contestantsof the 2012 Miss Virginia Pageant, which begins Thursday at the Roanoke Civic Center.

Miss Apple Blossom Festival

Kourtney Ginn

Age: 22

Platform: Speaking out for the arts

Talent: ballet

Kourtney once sang during Mass in Saint Peter’s Basilica in

the Vatican.

Twitter: @kourtneyginn

Miss Arlington

Courtney Garrett

Age: 19

Platform: Defying disabilities

Talent: vocal

Courtney is fluent in American Sign Language.

Miss Blue Ridge

Wanda Christian

Age: 21

Platform: Living green

Talent: jazz dance

Wanda danced as Elmo at Busch Gardens

Williamsburg.

Miss Charlottesville

Dominique Quarles

Age: 24

Platform: SPEAK: Domestic Violence Awareness

Talent: vocal

Dominique is a licensed insurance adjuster and

certified pharmacy technician.

Miss Chesterfield

Delesia Watson

Age: 22

Platform: Communication 101: Creating a Lasting

Impression

Talent: vocal

Delesia studied international public relations in London.

Twitter: @deleesh

Miss Commonwealth

Miranda Coble

Age: 20

Platform: Teen pregnancy prevention

Talent: jazz dance

Miranda lives in a community service house at Hollins

University that requires her to do 10 hours of service a month.

Miss Dominion

Amy Bartgis

Age: 20

Platform: Youth skin cancer prevention

Talent: vocal

Amy was born 2 feet tall and was 5 feet tall by the age of 6.

Miss Greater Franklin County

Jessica Swing

Age: 18

Platform: Beautiful Flaws: Confidence from

Within

Talent: tap dance

Jessica is the first in her family to attend college.

Miss Greater Hampton Roads

Courtney Meade

Age: 23

Platform: Defining You: Empowering the Youth of

America

Talent: dance, gymnastics

Courtney had a pet duck as a child.

Miss Greater Richmond

Victoria Maiden

Age: 21

Platform: Beating the Odds: A Living Miracle

Talent: baton twirling

Victoria and her twin sister were born on Valentine’s Day.

Twitter: @victoriatwirls

Miss Greater Springfield

Blaire Borum

Age: 22

Platform: Sudden Infant Death Syndrome awareness

Talent: vocal

Blaire modeled in a Macy’s fashion show that was hosted

by a judge from “America’s Next Top Model.”

Miss Hampton-Newport News

Phyllicia Whittingham

Age: 23

Platform: Volunteer for life

Talent: piano

Phyllicia is the proud driver of a 12-year-old Volkswagen

Beetle named Frannie.

Twitter: @MissHNN2012

Miss Hanover

Autumn Struhar

Age: 19

Platform: Traumatic Brain Injury awareness

Talent: vocal

Autumn spent time at nursing homes singing,

playing Bingo and giving manicures to residents.

Miss Hill City

Maggie Lawson

Age: 21

Platform: STOP: Stand Tall Over Predators

Talent: vocal

Maggie is SCUBA certified and once swam in an aquarium with six species of sharks.

Twitter: @maggieclawson

Miss Lynchburg

Amanda Miller

Age: 23

Platform: Every Beat Counts: Heart Health

Awareness

Talent: ballet

Amanda climbed part of the Great Wall of China.

Miss Mountain Empire

Elizabeth Robinette

Age: 23

Platform: Breast cancer awareness

Talent: jazz dance

Elizabeth lives on a farm that has been in her family for more

than 100 years.

Miss Norfolk

Shelby Smith

Age: 19

Platform: Erase the Stigma: Mental Health Awareness

Talent: vocal

Shelby studies American Shotokan Karate.

Miss Norfolk State University

Ashlee White

Age: 22

Platform: Dance for love

Talent: jazz dance

Ashlee has met President Obama.

Miss Northern Virginia

Elizabeth Martin

Age: 20

Platform: Mentoring children

Talent: vocal

Elizabeth hopes to get a job as a princess in Disney

World.

Miss Peninsula

Desiree Williams

Age: 23

Platform: Fit and Fun!

Talent: piano

Desiree spent six weeks in China studying language,

health and traditional Chinese medicine.

Twitter: @MissHU2010

Miss Piedmont Region

Bridget Lundberg

Age: 22

Platform: The Big Cover Up: The Myths and Truths About

Skin Cancer

Talent: jazz dance

Bridget is paying for her education at Christopher

Newport University on her own.

Miss Portsmouth Seawall

Madeleine Raiford

Age: 21

Platform: The Safe Streets Initiative

Talent: piano, vocal

Madeleine won first place for her age group in a triathlon.

Twitter: @madeleineAR

Miss Roanoke Valley

Rosemary Willis

Age: 21

Platform: Get moving today for a healthier tomorrow

Talent: vocal

Rosemary has traveled to Ukraine three times to help in orphanages,

hospitals and children’s camps.

Twitter: @rgdubs

Miss Smith Mountain Lake

Katelyn Dockery

Age: 20

Platform: Teen and young adult suicide prevention

Talent: vocal

Katelyn is part of a prison ministry.

Miss Virginia Beach

Elissa Taylor

Age: 22

Platform: Juvenile diabetes awareness and support

Talent: vocal

Elissa was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was

10 months old.

Miss Virginia Dogwood

Ashna Sharan

Age: 21

Platform: Domestic violence awareness

Talent: Indian Bollywood dance

Ashna speaks English, Spanish and Hindi.

2012 Miss Virginia PageantWhen: Preliminary competitions at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, finale at 9 p.m. on Saturday.

Where: Roanoke Performing Arts Theatre

Tickets: Thursday and Friday tickets are $35 each night. Saturday tickets are $45.

Info: Buy tickets at the Roanoke Civic Center box office; 877-482-8496; www.HomeTownBankTix.com.

Watch: The finale will air live on WSET (Channel 13) at 9 p.m. Saturday. Watch all three nights of

the pageant online for free at www.missva.com.

Voting: To vote for your favorite contestant, go to www.missva.com. Voting is unlimited and costs 99 cents per vote. Voting is open until 10 p.m. Friday. Voting does not affect judges’ scores, but the contestant who receives the most votes will become a “Top 11” finalist and receive a “People’s Choice” scholarship.

Live tweeting: The Roanoke Times will be live-tweeting from Miss Virginia events later this week. Follow the Twitter feed @rketimeslive and tweet using hashtag #missva

MORE INSIDEMiss Virginia pageant continues to take cues from popular reality TV shows to make itself more appealing to younger audiences.Page 6

NBC

Gymkana, the University of Maryland acrobatic group that appeared on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent,” will perform during the Miss Virginia Pageant.