#PrepareAtPeace | WPU Alumna Maya Bryant ’17 Finishes 11th in Miss North Carolina Pageant
UPDATE: Maya received a job offer from the Office of Advancement at WPU in 2018 and now works as the University’s Annual Giving and Engagement Coordinator.
WPU Alumna Maya Bryant ’17 finished 11th in the Miss North Carolina Pageant last month, where she was awarded $2,000 in scholarship money. Bryant was also named Miss Congeniality, a cherished award that was determined by her fellow candidates.
Bryant spent an exciting week with fellow Miss North Carolina candidates prepping for competitions and undergoing interviews with pageant judges. The Miss North Carolina candidates spent the bulk of their week competing in various events, such as lifestyle and fitness, talent, evening gown, and answering on-stage questions. All of which led to the final competition that was broadcast by Raleigh news station, ABC11. Byrant was also the recipient of ABC 11’s People’s Choice Award.
“Although I did not leave the week as the 81st Miss North Carolina, I left with amazing memories and lifelong friends.”
“My Miss North Carolina experience was simply remarkable,” Bryant said. “Although I did not leave the week as the 81st Miss North Carolina, I left with amazing memories and lifelong friends.”
For Maya, her week of competition was also a return to home on the Peace campus. WPU hosts all Miss North Carolina Pageant contestants in the week leading up to the main event.
“Before my interview in the Peace boardroom, as I was waiting I saw so many familiar faces wishing me luck and offering me words of encouragement,” Bryant said. “And it reminded me why I love WPU so much.”
Earlier this year, Bryant was named Miss Zebulon 2018, a title she earned while also pursuing her Master’s Degree at Liberty University. Bryant was the first Miss Zebulon to be crowned in 50 years after the program was reintroduced this past year. She has served honorably as Miss Zebulon while promoting her platform, Arts at the Core, which integrates the arts into Zebulon and its surrounding communities.
Bryant will soon complete her Master of Art in Communication and continue in her title as Miss Zebulon until October. She still has two more years of eligibility to compete for Miss North Carolina, but has yet to decide if she will return to the stage as a contestant. Whether Bryant competes again or not, she has already made up her mind that she would like to remain a part of the organization that has allowed her to grow so much as an individual and afforded her to continue her education.
For more news and feature stories, search #PrepareAtPeace on social media, or visit www.peace.edu/news.