NEWS

Reigning Miss Louisiana 2022 Gracie Reichman, who served as Miss Louisiana Tech in 2020 and 2021, competes for the job of Miss America beginning with preliminary competition Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 12 and 13, at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut.

Miss America 2023 will be crowned Dec. 15. The competition will begin at 7 p.m. CST and stream live on Peacock.

“I am feeling an overwhelming sense of peace and confidence,” Reichman, a junior Kinesiology and Health Sciences major from Colfax, said on the eve of her trip to the East Coast. “The truth is, the hard part is over. The mock interviews, long hours of talent rehearsal, and even picking out wardrobe, it’s all together, prepped, and ready.

“In these last few days leading up to the competition, I have been able to reflect on my almost decade-long journey in this organization that has led me to this moment, and with that comes so many wonderful emotions. I am excited to share my heart, my love for this great state, and represent on the Miss America stage everyone who has invested in me.”

Reichman has earned more than $74,000 in scholarships since she began competing in the Miss America Organization. She has spent the year traveling the state promoting her social impact initiative, “Think Twice, Be Nice,” encouraging positive mindsets and self-worth.

She has been a member of the Regal Blues Dance Team, Phi Mu, and the Louisiana Tech Leadership Council, and although she’s had to suspend her college career to serve as Miss Louisiana, she hasn’t lost touch with the University community.

“Although Monroe is my home for this year, I am very thankful that Ruston is only a quick 40-minute drive away,” she said. “I am fortunate enough to have some really awesome friends who support me and visit me often in Monroe as well, and even support me at events when I am working as Miss Louisiana. I actually have had the chance to visit with the Regals on multiple occasions and even got a sneak peek to their 2023 Nationals routine, and let me tell you – it’s a show stopper.”

Reichman would know about dancing; her Contemporary Clogging routine to Blue Suede Shoes helped her earn the Miss Louisiana title, which she won competing as Miss Louisiana Watermelon Festival.

But first, she won Miss Louisiana Tech as a freshman.

“I truly believe that I would not be the young woman I am today without the time I spent at Louisiana Tech,” she said. “I am beyond grateful for the connections I have made in the Ruston community, grateful to have met so many amazing students who have become some of my closest friends, and grateful to have the opportunity to share my passion and love for this University on the Miss America stage. I truly will Ever Loyal Be.”