The 2019 Miss Sam Houston Scholarship Pageant informational meeting will take place Sept. 17 in the Lowman Student Center room 304 from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

The meeting will inform possible candidates about the application process, the requirements to be Miss Sam Houston and what contestants will encounter when competing in February.

“This year’s contestants can also expect a change in the competitions categories,” Student Pageant Director Andrea James said.

The Miss Sam Houston Pageant has taken away the swimsuit portion of the competition so that the judges and audience can get to know more about the girls.

“We’re going to have an onstage interview now…so we can get to know more about who the girl is and her platform and what she stands for,” James said.

The Miss Sam Houston Pageant dates all the way back to 1949 when it was referred to as the Bathing Beauty Review. Back then, the winner would win items like clothes, jewelry, flowers and the title of Miss Bathing Beauty.

The pageant was originally hosted by the Caroline Belvin Literary Society before the members were initiated in 1959 to the sorority Alpha Delta Pi, who then changed the winning title from Miss Bathing Beauty to Miss Sam Houston. The pageant continued on for many years until it took a hiatus in the 1980’s and returned in 2011—crowning its first queen in almost 30 years.

“The girls that win go on to compete in Miss Texas and Miss Piney Woods, and they win a scholarship,” James said. “Miss Sam Houston gets a one-semester meal plan as well as a cash scholarship.”

According to James, Program Council is looking for girls who are responsible, show leadership and are positive role models within their community.