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Kendyll Covington Wins Miss Mississippi College Pageant


Miss Mississippi College 2015 Kendyll Covington

Kendyll Covington was in “complete shock” when Miss Mississippi College pageant judges selected her to wear the crown in 2015.

Her triumph at January 29th pageant before hundreds in the audience at Swor Auditorium is starting to sink in for the 19-year-old MC sophomore.

“Winning this pageant means the world to me,” Kendyll said Friday. “The experience has provided growth in so many ways as a person and a follower of Jesus Christ.”

The musical theatre major from Pelham, Alabama edged out five other contestants to capture the title Thursday evening. Mississippi College junior Taran Kaur, a nursing major from Madison, was selected first runner-up.

As the new Miss Mississippi College, Covington plans to continue to work to advance her platform to make people more aware of the issue of sexual assault on college campuses today.

As part of her reign the next twelve months, she will represent the Christian university at a number of events – from the 2015 MC Homecoming Parade in October to the annual spring scholarship dinner. Kendyll seeks to be a good ambassador for the 5,000-student Baptist-affiliated university in Clinton. “I can’t wait to really represent my school and show people why MC is the place for them!”

Five judges sized up the contestants based on their talents, ability to answer questions on the spot, and their appearance in evening gowns.

At stake was not only the crown, but a $2,000 MC scholarship and a nice prize package from local businesses.

Other contestants included Ashley Watson of Byram, Sarah Pope of Terry, Callie May of Madison, and Jessica Atchley of Wetumpka, Alabama. Four of the six undergraduates are nursing majors.

From the long rehearsals to the final curtain call Thursday evening, all six MC women built lasting friendships.

All of the contestants understood, Kendyll said, that “we had performed for our Father and we all knew He was proud of us no matter the outcome.”

As part of the pageant, each of the contestants raised $100 for the Make A Wish Foundation.

Kendyll Covington expressed her thanks to student director Emily Boyd and staff director Dannie Woods for their hard work to make the 2015 Miss MC pageant a success.