The new Miss Murray 2012 royalty consists of, from left, Miss Murray Mallory Rogers, second attendant Taylor Smith and first attendant Shannon Oveson.
For Mallory Rogers, the fourth time was the charm. Rogers, 21, was selected from a field of 12 contestants to be Miss Murray 2012 at the pageant held on Sept. 17. Although she has served as first and fourth attendant in past royalties, this time, it was Rogers’ turn to shine.
“I’m excited about meeting everyone in Murray,” Rogers said. “I’m excited to come back and work with Murray leaders like Scott Baker and Mayor Snarr.”
Rogers, a senior at the University of Utah and a Murray High School graduate, competed with the platform, “For Every Body.” Her intention is to bring a higher level of physical fitness to all demographic areas of Murray. Rogers has volunteered at a substance abuse center, danced since she was 3 years old and teaches at a local yoga studio.
As a student of clinical psychology, Rogers hopes to eventually work in the psychiatric field helping people improve their lives.
During her reign, Rogers will teach fitness classes at senior citizen and recreation centers, and create a community fitness event in the spring. “Part of being Miss Murray will be about getting the word out about health: mental, emotional and physical,” Rogers said.
Miss Murray’s first attendant is Shannon Oveson, 20. Oveson is a student at Utah Valley University studying biotechnology with the goal to earn a doctorate in genetic engineering. She performed on the marimba during the Miss Murray pageant, and has played the percussion instrument for eight years.
As her platform, Oveson focused on “Rachel’s Challenge,” an organization created to recognize Rachel Scott, the first person killed at Columbine High School in April 1999. “Rachel’s Challenge” spotlights acts of kindness by starting a chain reaction of compassion.
Oveson is enthusiastic about supporting Rogers in her role as Miss Murray and said, as the first attendant, she has it a little easier. “It’s nice to be in the royalty because you get more involved in the community,” Oveson said. “But I don’t have all the specific obligations that I would if I were Miss Murray.”
Taylor Smith, 20, is Rogers’ second attendant and is eager to represent the people of Murray. This was Smith’s second appearance in the pageant where she demonstrated her belly dancing talent. Smith is a student at Salt Lake Community College majoring in American Sign Language. She has volunteered at the Special Olympics and plans to become a special education teacher. “Disabilities and special ed are something a lot of people don’t really know about,” Smith said. “I think if they understand it, they’ll be more comfortable around people with disabilities.”
Also participating in the pageant were Korrine Woodmansee, Teagan Clark, Ashley Frederickson, Shelby Hackett, Marion Strobell, Jackie Rosen, Kinsey Eborn, McCall Gray and Katie Kelsey.
Additionally, Katherine Castro was named Murray’s Little Miss 2012 after winning a contest by drawing a picture of how people in Murray can incorporate a healthy lifestyle into their lives.
“Being Miss Murray is an amazing opportunity, but it’s not a beauty pageant. It’s not about winning a shiny crown. Miss Murray is an example of service,” Oveson said. “I want people to get the right idea about Miss Murray. Mallory is a fantastic girl and she’s going to do a fantastic job serving the people of Murray.”
(By Peri Kinder)
