Senior Hope Driskill never imagined she would be competing in the Miss USA pageant, or even any pageant at all. Unlike many of her fellow contestants, Driskill didn’t grow up participating in pageants. The closest she ever came to a beauty pageant was through her TV screen.
“Every year, my friends and I would get together and watch the Miss USA pageants on TV,” Driskill said. “I honestly never thought in a million years I would eventually be one of those women I was watching compete.”
Even after receiving a call from 2010 Miss Missouri USA Ashley Strohmier encouraging her to enter the following year, Driskill said she was unresolved.
“At that time, I didn’t really take it seriously,” Driskill said. “But I couldn’t get the idea out of my mind.”
Only after some convincing from those closest to her did Driskill decide to run for Miss Missouri USA.
“After a lot of encouragement from friends and family, I finally decided I had nothing to lose and would give it a shot,” Driskill said.
But encouragement alone didn’t win her the Miss Missouri USA crown. The 21-year-old political science major said preparing for the pageant required a lot of hard work on her part. In addition to the pageant, she had to make time for her internship at Gov. Jay Nixon’s office in the State Capitol and her membership duties with the Chi Omega sorority.
“During my preparation for the Miss Missouri USA pageant, I had to become very efficient with managing my time,” Driskill said. “I was busy with all sorts of clubs, activities, my sorority, school assignments and spending time with friends and family. To add practicing for a pageant required a great deal of willpower and planning.”
Despite her preparations, Driskill said she still felt at a slight disadvantage, never having participated in a pageant before.
“I guess I didn’t realize how much less experience I had until I arrived at Miss Missouri USA back in November,” Driskill said. “After seeing all of the other amazing competitors, I immediately began to wish I had prepared more. Thankfully, going to the Rec, practicing interview questions with my roommates and trying not to eat out as much as possible ended up paying off.”
Driskill said no matter how prepared, she still would get nervous before going out onstage. She didn’t let her nerves get the best of her, however.
“I tried to breathe and channel that nervous energy to adrenaline and excitement so I could just have fun onstage,” Driskill said.
With the Miss USA pageant taking place in June, Driskill said she has been training eagerly for her debut appearance on national television.
“Preparing for Miss USA is a whole different ballgame (than Miss Missouri USA),” Driskill said. “I have been fortunate enough to have a wonderful director and team helping me prepare for the national title.”
Although Driskill described winning the Miss Missouri USA title as one of the best and most surreal moments of her life, it is not the crowning achievement in her eyes. She said she most values the opportunity to be a positive role model and grow to be the best person she can be.
“My favorite part about being Miss Missouri USA is all of the people I get to meet and places I get to travel,” Driskill said. “Visiting children’s hospitals, veteran’s hospitals, schools and charity events has been the most rewarding and humbling experience of my life. If I have touched any of their lives even a fraction of how much they have touched mine, then I am happy.”
