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18/06/2021
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By Mary Colurso | June 18, 2021
There’s a photo of Lauren Bradford at age 10, posing with a business executive, some Azalea Trail Maids, a GoDaddy mascot ... and a huge replica of a $10,000 savings bond.
Bradford is smiling widely, celebrating her win in a reading program for kids. Even in elementary school, this Gulf Shores resident had her eyes on the prize, setting personal goals and accomplishing them in the public arena.
Fast-forward 11 years, and Bradford has many more achievements to trumpet, including the title of Miss Alabama 2021. She competed as Miss Jefferson County and was crowned on June 12 at the Alabama Theatre in Birmingham, besting 38 other contestants from around the state.
Bradford, 21, has served as Miss Alabama for just a few days. But she’s been training most of her life for this role, and it shows.
During an interview with AL.com, Bradford is composed and cordial, warm and welcoming, engaging and approachable. Her eyes light up when you ask her a question, and she tackles any topic with cheerful aplomb.
“I think Miss Alabama is a symbol of authenticity and reality and genuineness, and also kindness and love,” Bradford says. “I’ve definitely been on the job for a short time, but even this morning ... I met some people and made connections there. I got to take photos, and they were so excited.
“I think that Miss Alabama — it’s the 100th anniversary of Miss Alabama and I’ll represent at the 100th celebration of Miss America — I think there’s so much rich history, and a legacy that Miss Alabama carries. I think people know that. I think Miss Alabama is important to her state. I think the people she meets every day are excited to meet her.”
Bradford, the daughter of Wade and Lisa Bradford of Gulf Shores, will spend the next year traveling throughout the state -- making public appearances, doing charity work, speaking to community groups, motivating students and more.
She’ll also spread the word about her philanthropic platform (called a “social impact initiative” by the Miss Alabama organization). In Bradford’s case, that’s “UNPLUG: The Digital Diet Plan.” It’s all about pulling our eyes away from cell phones and other electronic devices, setting reasonable limits on screen time.
“My message is positive,” Bradford says. “I want us to have true connection with one another. There’s so much more beyond our fingertips and the black screen that is our phones. … Phones and notebooks and technology, all of these things are tools. They’re great things that we use in our day-to-day jobs and our lives. But the problem is we don’t know how to integrate them into our lifestyles in a healthy, balanced and cohesive way.
“The main message I’m trying to share is how we can integrate them into our lives. Also, what are the harmful effects of overuse? How we can have a greater balance? It’s ultimately trying to help our quality of life be better.”
As if to prove her point, the new Miss Alabama fairly sparkles with enthusiasm throughout a face-to-face chat that lasts about 90 minutes. Here are some excerpts:
Plenty of folks are going to be jealous, hearing that Miss Alabama grew up at the beach. What was that like?
“I think I took the beach for granted until I came to college at Auburn. And then I realized: ‘Oh, my goodness, I live in Gulf Shores.’ It really showed me my hometown is so beautiful, and I learned to appreciate it a lot more.
“I might be a little biased, but I think we have some of the most beautiful white sands. That’s kind of what we’re known for, is the sugary white sands. Our town’s motto is: ‘Small town, big beach.’ The beach is obviously large and sprawling, but it’s a small, close-knit community.
“I have much greater appreciation for it now that I’m older, and now that I might not be returning there, might be launching into a career somewhere else. Knowing that the time I have spent at home is limited has allowed me to treasure it much more. It’s been a cool experience, getting to grow up there. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
Do you surf? There’s a photo of you on Instagram with a surfboard, so ...
“No! My family and I went to California a couple of years ago, where you can actually surf. The Gulf waters, you can’t really surf out there because the waves aren’t big enough. And it’s really, really cold. And really, really hard. I don’t have the balance for it. But it’s really fun to try.”
You graduated from Auburn University in May, and you were Miss Auburn University in 2019. How important is SEC football to you?
“I always grew up as an Auburn fan, so there was no question, I knew I wanted to come to Auburn. My father went to Auburn, and it was just kind of ingrained in our family. But since I was at the beach, we weren’t ridiculously close to Auburn. I didn’t grow up going to football games, really, we just watched them (on TV).
“It’s not in my blood to be a crazy football fan, but I have loved being a student at Auburn. I mean, I’m a little sad if I don’t get to roll Toomer’s, but football is definitely fun. I think it’s cool, because — not trying to point fingers at another big school in the state — but I think the thing that’s cool about Auburn is, we love football, but it’s a community of people, regardless of how well we’re doing or how not well we’re doing (on the field). It’s still so much fun to be there at the games. Having that experience in college is something that I have always treasured, and will always look back on with favor. ...
“My freshman year, when I was Miss Auburn University, Auburn basketball made it to the Final Four, and that was great for our university. It was really cool having that experience as a freshman. Toomer’s Corner was white for days and days and days. It was a great experience.”
I think we’ve seen photos of you with Aubie.
“Yes! My husband. Just kidding.”
You were accepted into a graduate program at Vanderbilt University, studying finance. What would you like to do with that as a career?
“I want to go into strategy consulting. It’s really interesting to me, because the field I want to go into, the type of consulting, you get to work across industries with clients from all different backgrounds. They are often large companies, and they can come to these consultants with any number of problems — it could be supply chain issues, it could be cost-and-profit analysis. You work to figure out what the problems are, and help them save money and streamline their businesses. ... I’m pretty analytical, so the problem-solving aspect has really drawn me in.
“My father is a banker. He’s a community banker, so I’ve grown up knowing about finance and the stock market. That has always been on my mind. But I knew I wanted to do something that was more global, that I could maybe travel with it.”
What led you to pursue a graduate degree?
“I’ve always loved education, and I didn’t want to give up school quite yet. I also had scholarships that were going to be left over, from competing in Miss Alabama and other avenues. I wanted to put them to use. I decided to apply, and I found out about the Vanderbilt program, and it fit perfectly for what I want to do in consulting, and further help equip me for a role like that. But as part of the job of Miss Alabama, I will defer that for a year, and hopefully go the year after I give up Miss Alabama.”
Why did you want to be part of the Miss Alabama organization?
“The scholarships, for one, drew me in. That was huge for me. I personally won $13,800 this year and that will be going towards my graduate degree. That is a huge appeal of the program. The mission of Miss America — and therefore the mission of Miss Alabama — is to prepare great women for the world, and to prepare the world for great women. I think that it does just that, partly because of helping to fund education.
“I just knew, looking at what this organization represented, that it would make me a version of myself that I wanted to be. It helps refine you so much. I knew that I would gain experience interviewing, and that was scary to me when I was younger. I knew that it would help prepare me for things that were going to come.
“Also, I’ve been a violinist since I was 6 years old. To have the opportunity to put my talents to use in a way that would be exciting, but also would help curate my talent, that was exciting to me. All of this is a refining process, and you’re always working to become a version of yourself that’s inspiring and impactful and empowering.”
Before Miss Alabama, you participated in Miss Alabama’s Outstanding Teen. Tell us about that.
“On the Gulf Coast, pageants are not a huge thing. I found out about the Miss Alabama organization because I did my high school pageant. My high school happened to have one that year — not every year do we have Miss Gulf Shores High School. I did it as a freshman, and I ended up winning somehow. I got to interview, and I got a scholarship, and a local lady at my church recommended Miss Coastal Alabama’s Outstanding Teen.
“I tried it, and I didn’t win my first time, so I went to Miss Alabama’s Outstanding Teen as an at-large candidate, and got top 15. The next year I went back as Miss Coastal Alabama’s Outstanding Teen, and I actually placed first runner-up. Jessica Baeder was the winner. She went to Miss America’s Outstanding Teen, and won the whole thing, and made Alabama so proud. Because of that, I got the honor or stepping into her role, as Miss Alabama’s Outstanding Teen.
“It wasn’t a full year, but it was an incredible time, serving, and I think I really learned about what it means to be a title-holder. I got that firsthand glimpse of that. I got the experience, and it made me a more well-rounded individual. I got to meet people throughout the state. It was a small, condensed version of being Miss Alabama, and that really lit a fire in me.
“Ever since then, I knew I wanted to be Miss Alabama one day. My Miss Alabama that year, Jessica Procter, really inspired me and poured into me a lot.”
What has being part of this organization done for you? Why should other girls and women consider it?
“It has taught me that if I set my mind to something, I can make it happen. I think it equips women to be competent, to be community leaders and servers, and it gives them the resources to do that. It gives them a voice they can use to make a change that they want to make. It gives you an opportunity to have a platform to speak about something you’re passionate about. … The scholarships alone should be a reason to compete. It just equips young women for great things.”
What’s your response to people who say that Miss Alabama is outdated and no longer relevant? Or that it’s all about being pretty?
“I love hearing the preconceived notions that sometimes comes with the sparkly hat.
“First, the preparation that goes into this can help dispel that. You spend hours listening and reading the news, and you know what is going on in our country. You are an educated citizen, and you can talk about any current event topic, pretty much. You spend hours studying these topics, and reading articles and history. I know the history of our country more than I ever would have known in my civics classes, because of the preparation it involves.
“Second, the interview skills. You are able to walk into an interview and field questions that you would hopefully never get asked in your worst nightmares. It’s hard questions that are super-controversial. Anything you say might not be the right answer, but you’re going to say it with confidence, and you’re going to say what you believe in.
“Then there’s the talent aspect of it. I mean, these young women are all so talented. This is something where girls work to refine themselves; they work to educate themselves; and they work to be ready to communicate who they are to the people they meet.
“This is not a beauty pageant. A program like this helps to equip women to step into a bigger role one day and lead people. There is no reason anyone should think that it is outdated. I think it’s more relevant than ever before.”
Miss Alabama and Miss America aim to nurture strong and empowered women. Do you think of yourself as a feminist?
“I think that I support women’s rights in any way, and especially women gaining large leadership roles. I think that’s something that should be championed. In my career, finance, the statistic is that it’s 50-50, the male-to-female ratio of those who get entry-level jobs. But only 15 percent of women hold leadership roles in finance. I would love to see that number change and grow. I think we should be doing everything we can to make sure women are equipped and have access to opportunities that are not often provided for women. It’s definitely something I’m excited to champion.”
You played the violin in the talent competition at Miss Alabama. How did you get started?
“My mother grew up playing piano, so she knew the importance of music and how it impacted her life. She knew that when she had kids, she wanted them to be involved in music in some capacity. When I was younger, a violin teacher came to my school, and he was offering to teach lessons. I was very intrigued.
“So I chose the violin, or I like to say the violin chose me. I just started taking lessons, and it became a huge passion of mine. I grew up playing classical music, through the Suzuki Method, and it’s a very old, traditional method. It taught me a lot about technique.
“It was fun growing up on that, but when I was in middle school, I didn’t want to play classical music anymore. I was like, ‘I’ve got to find something else I really love to play, so that I don’t want to stop.’ I think if I kept playing the same type of music for the rest of my life, it might have caused me to burn out. I wanted to branch out and learn more things.
“So I started playing in my church, and I started playing in an orchestra, a huge orchestra, all kinds of music. I started playing an electric violin, which was fun. I actually played that my first year in Miss Alabama’s Outstanding Teen pageant. Learning different techniques and different songs has been eye-opening for me.”
Can you give us an example of that?
“One of the most eye-opening experiences I ever had with violin … I was serving in a nursing home when I was in high school. I would go there once a week, and I decided I would start bringing my violin. The wing of the nursing home that I was playing in was dementia and Alzheimer’s patients. My grandmother actually passed away a few years ago from Alzheimer’s, so I have connection to that. I know what that can do to a family, and to the person who is suffering from that. I wanted to bring and play music to them for Christmas.
“I spent a lot of time with these patients, and many of them did not know where they were from, or what their children’s names were, or what they did five minutes ago, But when I started playing Christmas music, they all knew every single word, and they were able to sing along to it. They knew how the song was supposed to go, and it all came together. I was like, ‘This is so amazing, that music can connect in this way.’ They had tears in their eyes, because they remembered it. They realized that they remembered something that was deep within them.
“I researched it, and music — your musical ability in your brain, when you have a disease like that or a condition — is the last thing to go. To be able to bring that gift to them, I was like, ‘This is what it’s all about, being able to steward my talents for good.’”
People are usually excited to run into Miss Alabama. How will you handle that?
“You want to treat people with the utmost dignity and the utmost respect, because everyone is so valuable, and should be treated that way. I think Miss Alabama always has a great job doing that. It just means a lot to the people that you meet everyday.”
Little girls tend to get starry-eyed when they see Miss Alabama. You’re almost like a Disney princess to them. How do you feel about that?
“I think little girls definitely get excited, because they might see what they could be. I think that’s really important, to not forget that — the younger people that you’re meeting, boys and girls, to encourage them to go for something that they’re passionate about.
“Growing up, I’ve always been a super-ambitious person and a goal-oriented person. I wasn’t always liked because of that. I think a lot of times peers are intimidated by that. Young people aren’t always enthusiastic about other goal-chasers or ambitious people. But I say, ‘Don’t be afraid to do hard things. Don’t be afraid to be different than your peers.’
“Maybe my peers weren’t the same as me, and maybe I felt alone sometimes because of that, when I was really young. But it has paid off. I’m so glad that I wasn’t afraid to be myself, and chase after the things that are important to me. So I encourage all young people to do hard things.”
You were named Miss Alabama on a Saturday night. What was your first thought when you woke up on Sunday morning?
“Oh, my goodness. I thought: Is this real life? It was just really gratitude that this came true. It’s something that I think many young women dream of, for so long, but you don’t know if it’s actually going to happen. You think maybe you have a shot, but you just don’t know. I was overwhelmingly grateful to have this opportunity and to be here right now.”
Miss Alabama 2019-2020, Tiara Pennington, said Miss Alabama feels like a sisterhood. Any thoughts on that?
“I remember turning around Saturday night when we were taking pictures, and seeing former Miss Alabamas. I remember feeling this sense of girl power — and womanhood and servanthood. To see all of these women who have made such an impact on the state, standing together on a stage, is an honor. And now I get to be part of that sisterhood. They are trailblazers. I have huge shoes they left for me to fill.”
Miss Alabama no longer has a swimsuit competition, but advocates for fitness. Any thoughts on that?
“I love to stay fit. Staying fit is one of the most important parts about being Miss Alabama. If you’re not physically fit, you’re not going to be able to serve the state well or fulfill the role well. You have to have stamina, because it’s long days and you may be traveling from one side of the state to the other, or going to many different events in one day. You have to have energy. ... I love to run, which is crazy. I’m not very fast, but it’s all good. I still try.”
Is there something you’re really looking forward to, as the new Miss Alabama?
“I think meeting people. I’m definitely a people person. The idea of getting to travel around the whole state of Alabama and meet people who are different from me, from different backgrounds than me, from different cities, that is so appealing. ... Just getting to learn people’s stories and see people’s backgrounds is inspiring. Savvy Shields, who was Miss America, said, ‘I’m a collection of the people that I meet.’ I think a year like this is an unparalleled opportunity to grow into a collection of the people that I meet. And to learn something new every day.
So it’s not all about you?
“For sure. This role is not about me; it’s ultimately about service to the state that I am proud to call home. If you don’t come into this with a heart that is postured for service, maybe you’re not going to be a good year. If you think it’s all going to be about you, I think you quickly realize it’s not. I’m so glad it’s not all about me.”
Lauren Bradford of Gulf Shores received a 10,000 savings bond in 2010 as the top finalist of the HOAR Construction/GoDaddy.com Bowl Reading and Writing Program. Mike Lanier, Hoar Construction vice president, presented the award to Bradford at a ceremony at the Mobile Civic Center. She would go on to win the Miss Alabama pageant in 2021.(AL.com file photo)
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