Submitted by Miss Thurston County Scholarship Program
The Miss Thurston County Scholarship Program, a local preliminary to the Miss Washington and Miss America competitions, crowned its 2019 titleholder on Sunday, October 28, 2018 at the Kenneth J. Minnaert Center for the Performing Arts on the South Puget Sound Community College campus.
Brielle Bryan of Tumwater was crowned Miss Thurston County 2019, performing a contemporary hip hop dance and promoting a social impact initiative of supporting children and youth affected by domestic violence. Miss Bryan is a senior at Black Hills High School and plans on attending the University of Washington after graduation. She will go on to represent Thurston County at the Miss Washington Scholarship Pageant in June 2019.
1st Runner Up was Rachael Ostrander of Olympia, 2nd Runner Up was Nyah Hart, also of Olympia. The Non-Finalist Talent winner was Baylie Williams of Yelm and the Non-Finalist Interview winner was Brianna Schuette of Lacey.
The nine candidates vying for the title of Miss Thurston County 2019 received just shy of $5,000 total in scholarships to assist in paying for educational expenses. Each contestant competed in five distinct categories including Private Interview, Talent, Lifestyle & Fitness in Swimwear, OnStage Interview and Evening Wear.
They were joined by special guest Miss Washington 2018, Danamarie McNicholl, who performed a piano piece for the audience. Miss Washington placed in the Top 15 at the Miss America competition in September. 12 former Miss Thurston County titleholders also attended the pageant to support the newly crowned queen and pose for a legacy photo.
About the Miss Thurston County Scholarship Program
The Miss Thurston County Scholarship Program is an official preliminary to the Miss Washington and Miss America programs. For 43 years, the goal of MTCSP has been to help local young women achieve success through community service, leadership and funding their educational goals. The MTCSP is a not for profit organization formed in 1975 that has made an impact in many lives, fulfilling the dreams of young women in our community. The program Board of Directors and volunteer efforts have resulted in over 270 participants benefiting in the form of personal, professional, and educational growth. The success has included the distribution of over $85,000 in scholarships, helping meet the financial struggles of educational expenses! The MTCSP begins as a 2-month program for local Thurston County women between the ages of 17-25. As a contestant for MTC, the young women participate in many workshops such as resume building, interview preparation, fitness and nutrition, self-defense and CPR certification. They are also required to participate in at least two community service events during this time.
Participants are also required to adopt a social impact initiative and to serve their community on behalf of these and other causes. With the help of program Board of Directors, volunteers and community supporters, doors are opened for lifelong opportunities. The success of the MTCSP is due to the partnerships developed between the program and community supporters. Sponsors and local businesses contribute greatly to the scholarship funds and the awards provided to participants.
To schedule Miss Thurston County for an appearance, please contact Diane Hoosier, CoExecutive Director at missthurstoncountydirector@gmail.com. For more information, visit www.missthurstoncounty.com.
