Kent State Grad Competes for Miss Ohio Title Saturday

Tomorrow, one of 26 women will be crowned Miss Ohio 2011. Meggie Wittman, a recent graduate, is one of those hopeful competitors.

Wittman, a vocalist, has been singing since she was little. Though, “not necessarily very well,” she said, adding that she didn’t get formal training until she was 12 years old. A year later she started doing pageants for which the contestants must prepare throughout the year.

“A lot of people think we’re preparing for the pageant, but we’re just preparing for our lives, for being good, well-rounded girls,” the Cleveland resident said.

Her second year participating in Miss Ohio, Wittman was one of the top 10 finalists in 2010.

A big part of pageantry is that each contestant chooses a platform. For Wittman, this was an easy decision.

“Two years ago, my best friend, Kevin, passed away from cancer. And he was really my inspiration for becoming involved with Make-A-Wish because he was so positive throughout his entire struggle,” she said. “And I wanted to bring his positivity to children who are experiencing similar events.”

She works with the children one-on-one and has been doing so for about three years.

“They’re so adorable, and they’re so positive,” Wittman said. “It kinda makes me realize that there’s nothing wrong in my life if they can be so positive with what’s happening in theirs.”

Another aspect of the pageant is community service

“The whole week that we’re here we do appearances,” she said of doing mall fashion shows or working with the Girl Scouts. “It’s always little girls who seem to be the most impressed by us.”

After the pageant, Wittman will work on moving to New York. Having graduated with a bachelor’s degree in musical theater, she said that moving to New York is the next step in her career.