By Kassidy Rineer

On March 26, six girls competed in the Miss Kutztown pageant run by the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. These girls from different sororities and clubs shared their beauty and talents with the campus. The winner was sophomore Heather Zaborowski, a communication design major.

After the show, a panel of five judges chose the winner. The judges consisted of senior students, fraternity leaders and student involvement directors. The winner was chosen based on creativity, poise, level of preparation and confidence.

The show opened with the summer wear round. All six girls sported some sort of swimsuit or beach wear including cover-ups, shoes and sunglasses. The girls walked down the isles, escorted by dates, and then onto the stage to strut across to a song of their choice. Zaborowski came across last but was the most memorable. She gave off a stunning mermaid vibe with her long wavy blonde hair and a light blue shimmering wrap-around skirt.

At the end of the first round, the audience was reminded of the real reason for the event: to fundraise for the Susan G. Komen foundation, which raises money for breast cancer research.

Mike Furey and Robert Matthews, both members of Lambda Chi Alpha, gave personal speeches on loved ones who have suffered from breast cancer. When Furey asked the audience if anyone has known someone who was diagnosed with cancer, almost every hand was raised.

“The fight isn’t over until no woman has to fear her body,” said Furey.

The pageant continued with the talent portion. Amanda Austin did a highly energized Zumba dance with a friend. Miranda Beatty blindfolded herself and painted a basketball onto a brave friend’s face. Jen Hershey sang Norah Jones’s “Don’t Know Why” and Tasha Lynette Harwick lip-synced to Barlowgirl’s “Mirror” using a handheld mirror as a prop to add interest. Kaley Miller, the runner-up in the competition, came on stage in the dark with three glowing globes and a glowing hula-hoop. She juggled a hula hoop in the dark as her props lit up. Finally, Zaborowski did a comedy act where she pretended to draw people in the audience. The pictures turned out to be humorous, unrelated caricatures.

In the third and final round, each girl came out in a beautiful formal gown and stood in line as each was asked a question that could make or break their scores. Austin wore a bright fuchsia backless dress with sparkles lining the straps around the front and top. Beatty wore a genuine light pink strapless gown with a floral texture that sparkled slightly as she moved. Harwick wore a single-shoulder strap red dress with a slit up her leg giving it a high-low effect. Hershey wore a strapless dress with a black bandeau top and a black and white tribal print skirt. Miller wore a strapless silver dress that shimmered as she moved. She included red accents in her hairband and shoes. Zaborowski came on last and brought back her beachy mermaid style with a unique light floral patterned dress including sparkles around the straps and waist.

Before Zaborowski was announced the winner, it was declared that the grand total raised for the Susan G. Komen foundation was $681.50.

After she was crowned, Zaborowski said, “I’m happy to be a part of a good fundraiser and to raise money for a great cause.”