At the end of an over two-hour event, the crowd watched as Camryn Hopkins, Miss Alpha Chi Omega, was crowned Miss Sam Houston 2022. This would be the second time within the past three years that a member of Alpha Chi Omega earned the title following Katelynn Trout’s victory in 2020.
The pageant took place in the Lowman Student Center Orange Ballroom on Feb. 7 after being moved back from an original Feb. 3 date due to weather concerns from the university.
Fifteen women from various organizations and sororities were allowed to compete and earn the illustrious title, a $1,500 educational fund, $500 to their sponsoring organization and a chance to compete as Miss Texas in the summer.
One of the major components of being Miss Sam Houston is having a social impact initiative that will dictate the course of their tenure with the position. Hopkins initiative centered around access to feminine care products for young women.
“Back in high school, I helped found a club called Days for Girls where we made reusable feminine care products for girls in third world counties because they were banned from going to school while they were on their period,” Hopkins said. “It is something that I have grown to be very passionate about, and girls in the U.S. as well are very hygienically impoverished, I would like to be able to make reusable feminine care products for them as well.”
The competition consisted of the following five sections:
- Private interview worth
- Talent portion worth
- Spirit segment
- Red carpet
- Onstage interview
During each section, contestants expressed what being a Bearkat means to them, answered questions around current events or campus topics, and how they would use the title to make a social impact.
“The best part about being in the pageant is being able to mingle with the girls since I am very much so a girls’ girl, I love hanging out with all of them,” Hopkins stated. “What I hope to gain from this experience is just a platform for my cause. [This title] is more than just a crown to me, I hope that after this experience I can bring this club [Days for Girls] and make it a success.”
During the onstage interview portion, the questions were asked randomly and were of equal difficulty to ensure a fair playing field for all contestants. Hopkins was asked by judge Ray Hernandez that if she had to nominate someone to the supreme court, what attributes would she look for within the candidate.
“One attribute I would look for is being open-minded,” Hopkins explained. “Being a supreme court justice, [the justice] serves for life, and with times evolving and changing you will have to listen to the younger people and listen to what they have to say.”
Following her answer to the question, Hopkins was given 45 seconds to elaborate on her social impact initiative and what she would do as Miss Sam Houston to leave a lasting influence on the Bearkat community.
“My goal is to create a chapter of the Days for Girl’s organization on the Sam Houston campus and host donation drives for local schools and the women’s shelter as well as advocate for feminine healthcare products to be mandated in schools and the workplace,” Hopkins said. “Let’s face it, period poverty is not discussed, however, it largely affects a woman’s physical and mental wellbeing so let us start the conversation.”
Following the conclusion of all portions of the Miss Sam Houston pageant, Miss Sam Houston 2021, Madison Ventura, and Miss Piney Woods 2021, Mackenzie Patterson, were present on stage to crown the fourth through first runner-ups and winner as well as make their final appearance with their respective titles. In the end, Hopkins was crowned as Miss Sam Houston 2022 while Jenna Oakley, representing Lambda Alpha Epsilon, was crowned first runner-up and Miss Piney Woods 2022.