Madeline Collins crowned Miss West Virginia 2018

by Conor Griffith STAFF WRITER Jun 30, 2018

MORGANTOWN — After three nights of competition, the 2018 Miss West Virginia Scholarship Pageant came to a close with Madeline Collins being crowned.

“I feel overwhelmed and excited and honored to be the next Miss West Virginia and to represent the Mountain State,” she said, attributing her victory to the support of her family and director.

In addition to being judged for lifestyles, interviews and evening wear, each contestant was also judged based on talents, which ranged from musical covers to ballet performances of “The Nutcracker.” They were also judged based on their platforms.

“My platform is called ‘Think About It,’ and it’s an awareness campaign driven to encourage West Virginians to think about their mental health as much as we think about our physical health,” Collins said. “Definitely, in West Virginia, we are in a crisis, opioid abuse ... it’s all tied together. My year as Miss West Virginia, I plan to do so much, to see different areas of our state and to represent as best I can at (the) Miss America (Pageant).”

Also taking home a crown after Satruday night’s show in Morgantown was Katelin Bocchetti, who was crowned Miss West Virginia’s Outstanding Teen.

“I don’t know what to do with myself!” she said while reflecting on her victory. “I’m so excited. You have no idea what this means to me, and you have no idea how much it means for the promotion of my platform ‘SPEAK: Spreading Positive Esteem and Kindness.’ I cannot wait to travel the state just to talk about that.”

Bochetti said that, among other things, she will soon speak before the West Virginia Legislature regarding anti-bullying policies. Both pageant winners will travel to Atlantic City where the Miss America Pageant will be held.

Passing off the crown to Collins was 2017 Miss West Virginia Tamia Hardy.

She ran last year on a platform of “Stand Up, Don’t Stand By!” which was focused on prevention of sexual assault and of intervention bystanders.

“This past year, my life has been a complete 180, but it’s been absolutely amazing,” she said. “I aspired to make people feel good about themselves and am grateful for the platform to do that on such a large scale this year. This journey has made me grow in ways I didn’t know need growth. I feel so honored to go down in history as the first black Miss West Virginia. I hope I encouraged others to work hard for their dream and make it a reality.”

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Although she enjoyed her time as Miss West Virginia, she said passing the title is the beginning of another step in life’s journey. However, she said it was an honor to represent the state during her year.

Sabrina Harrison, 2017 Miss West Virginia’s Outstanding Teen ran on a platform of “Dancing Toward Movement, Better Health” which aims to use dance as a fun, easy and effective way to take care of one’s body.

Harrison said a career in New York after high school is her goal but plans on staying connected to the Miss West Virginia Pageant. Since the organization has raised the maximum age of competing to 25, she said there’s a chance she will come back and compete in the future.

https://www.wvnews.com/news/wvnews/madeline-collins-crowned-miss-west-virginia/article_792d50ea-8b52-52e0-9eaa-03b948dda9a3.html