Correction Appended
A former AU Eagle hopes to soar above the competition in the 2010 Miss America Pageant.
Jen Corey, a graduate from the College of Arts and Sciences in 2009, won the title of Miss District of Columbia in July, qualifying her for the national pageant.
Corey said her voice professor and musician-in-residence Linda Allison encouraged her to audition for the Miss District of Columbia Pageant during her sophomore year.
“I actually had never known anybody who had ever done a pageant before,” Corey said. “I just went on a whim. I didn’t really think anything was going to happen with it.”
That year, judges named Corey second runner-up for the title. In 2008, Corey reached first runner-up, before winning the contest in 2009.
For the Miss America Pageant, scheduled for Jan. 30 in Las Vegas, Corey will use her operatic abilities to woo the judges as part of the talent portion of the competition.
As an AU student, Corey studied vocal performance and criminal justice. She appeared as a featured soprano soloist with the AU Symphony Orchestra after winning the 2008-2009 AU Concerto and Aria Competition.
For the Miss America Pageant, each contestant was required to raise $500 for the Children’s Miracle Network, a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving children’s hospitals. This year, Corey said she raised close to $11,500, placing her second among all contestants. That, in addition to the funds she accumulated for the charity during her time in the state competitions, brings her total to just under $20,000 raised in three years, she said.
As a contestant, Corey said she also had to select a cause that she found important on which to run her campaign. Corey entitled her platform “Let’s Talk Trash.” The platform, stemming from a family history in the waste management industry, promotes recycling.
To demonstrate one way of going green, Corey teamed up with DC Goodwill for a unique stunt. Corey and the DC Goodwill fashionista, Gillian Kirkpatrick, were filmed during their attempt to outfit Corey’s new apartment almost entirely in purchases from the nonprofit outlet. The Miss District of Columbia Web site also sports a photograph of Corey in full regalia — evergreen evening gown, sparkling tiara, Miss District of Columbia sash and strappy heels — posing between two monstrously large recycling trucks. “Green is the new black,” and “Recycling can be sexy!” the captions proclaim.
Junior in the School of International Service and friend of Corey, John Schuler, said he was not surprised to see Corey in the running for Miss America 2010.
“[Corey] is just an amazingly talented and impressive person, not to mention beautiful,” Schuler said. “She is very smart, very driven and just a great person overall. If anyone deserves to be in a pageant like Miss America, it’s Jen.”
Schuler said Corey’s operatic performance, dedication to her charity and environmentally-friendly platform will set her apart from the competition.
Since winning the Miss District of Columbia competition, Corey has appeared at such events as the Gala Hispanic Theatre Benefit and the U.S. Marine Corps Healthy Kids Run.
Corey said her preparations for the pageant began just after she won the Miss District of Columbia title.
“Since I was crowned, I’ve been working on mock interviews at least once a week,” Corey said.
She also said she physically works out with a trainer twice a day and will be living with her trainer in the week before she leaves for the competition to avoid being “distracted by other things going on.”
Corey and her supporters were given a proper send off last night at the Institute of World Politics on 16th Street.
You can reach this staff writer at sparnass@theeagleonline.com.
Correction: In the Jan. 14 article, “Operatic AU alumna aims for Miss America crown,” John Schuler was incorrectly identified as a junior in the School of International Science at AU. In fact, no such school has ever existed. He is a junior in the School of International Service. The Eagle regrets the error.
