News Center

Published October 08, 2014

Lauren Ford, a pharmacy major from Monroe, was crowned Miss University of Louisiana at Monroe at the 62nd Annual Miss ULM Pageant held Oct. 7, in front of a sold-out crowd in ULM’s Brown Auditorium.

Ford’s platform is “Character Counts” and her talent is fiddle. She also received the interview, evening gown, talent, and miss congeniality preliminary awards.

First runner-up was Jo’ Hilliard of Baton Rouge. Second runner-up was Elaine Blanco of Leesville. Blanco also received the People’s Choice Award. Third runner-up was Conor Marshall of Jonesville, and fourth runner-up was Ellie Jackson of Monroe.

Marshall won the Advertisement Sales Award, and Jessica Philips of Winnsboro won the Non-Finalist Academic Award.

Christina Gray received the Lifestyle and Fitness Award. 

The Miss ULM Pageant—which was honored with an award from the Miss Louisiana Organization for providing more scholarship money than any other college pageant in Louisiana—is a preliminary to the Miss Louisiana Pageant, sponsored by ULM’s Campus Activities Board.

The competitive scholarship program emphasizes physical fitness, talent, public speaking, and academics. Contestants must demonstrate poise, personality, intelligence, and charm during the pageant, and must showcase a trained talent in a 90-second performance.

Miss ULM 2015 contestants:

Bria Virgil, a freshman kinesiology major from Baton Rouge, performed a musical number on the piano. Her platform is “Pretty with a Purpose.”

Christina Gray, a senior business management major from Winnfield, gave a vocal performance. Her platform is “Mentoring to Impact Students’ Lives.”

Ellie Jackson, a sophomore biology major from Monroe, performed a jazz dance. Her platform is “Teen Bullying.”

Ashley Camp, a junior biology major from Calhoun, gave a vocal performance. Her platform is “Volunteering in your Community.”

Victoria Eymard, a junior kinesiology major from Slidell, performed a dance. Her platform is “65 Roses for Cystic Fibrosis.”

Kaitlynn Frey, a sophomore elementary education major from Rosepine, performed a jazz dance. Her platform is “Staying Strong: Military Children and Education.”

Jo’ Hilliard, a junior nursing major from Baton Rouge, gave a vocal performance. Her platform is “Operation Turn-Around: Stopping Violence amongst Teens and Adolescents.”

Elaine Blanco, a sophomore music education major from Leesville, performed a musical number on the trumpet. Her platform is “Eating Disorder Education and Awareness.”

Conor Marshall, a sophomore pre-nursing major from Jonesville, performed a clog dance. Her platform is “Depression Awareness.”

Jessica Philips, a freshman kinesiology major from Winnsboro, performed a musical number on the piano. Her platform is “Project Samuel.”

Lacy Bagby, a sophomore health studies management/marketing major from Sterlington, performed a tap dance. Her platform is “Let’s Move.”

Lauren Ford, a pharmacy major from Monroe, performed a musical number on the fiddle. Her platform is “Character Counts.”

Ashtyn Davis, a freshman biology major from Delhi performed a jazz dance. Her platform is “National Guard.”