On April 9, McCain Auditorium brimmed with excitement, campus pride and Greek letters as the 11th annual Miss K-State competition began.

The annual charity pageant, hosted by the Delta Upsilon fraternity, is designed to support women

on campus. While this was a competition with contestants from 17 organizations, the audience celebrated whoever was crowned.

“I think this event is a really good way for women to connect with each other on campus,”  Kayla Albold, freshman in civil engineering representing Delta Delta Delta, said. “I met so many girls I wouldn’t have met otherwise; the bond we have established between this group of girls is something I will never forget.” 

According to Miss K-State website, the pageant celebrates women in the Wildcat community and showcases their ambitions, talents, intelligence and K-State pride while raising money to benefit communities worldwide.

“The hope for the event is to not only allow organizations to feature an exceptional woman in their membership but to also raise money for the betterment of underdeveloped communities abroad, through the Delta Upsilon Global Service Initiative,” the website states.

According to the GSI Fundraising video on its website, the money raised from fundraisers like Miss K-State goes to tools and supplies to rebuild schools, neighborhoods and communities abroad.

The pageant raises money for the initiative through ticket sales, contestant registration fees and voting donations on the Miss Fan Favorite award.

This year, Ashtyn Griffin, junior in animal science and representative of the Sigma Alpha Professional Agricultural Sorority, took home the Miss K-State crown. The pageant’s winner receives a $500 personal scholarship and $200 to donate to a philanthropy or service initiative of her choice.

“My future plans and goals with this title is to choose a charity that is special to me,” Griffin said. “One thing I really liked about this pageant going into it was that not only do they have a scholarship for you, but there is also an opportunity to give back to a charity that is special to you and focus on the community. That was something that made me excited to do this.”

While the pageant is a charity event, it also brings representation to organizations on campus.

“I am ecstatic to be Miss K-State. It is such an honor,” Griffin said. “The last time we had someone nominated through our sorority was 2016. Sigma Alpha is a small sorority; our numbers aren’t as big as others. We do not even have a house on campus, we meet in Weber Hall to hold meetings each week. The exec board decided that this was the year they wanted someone to participate, and it ended up being me.”

Miss K-State also recognizes pageant winners in smaller categories, including Miss Congeniality, the Social Media Award, the Fan Favorite and three runner-ups.

“Our chapter advisor Russell Harp started this event 11 years ago, and he has been a huge part of the event ever since,” Josh Bichelmeyer, vice president of philanthropy for Delta Upsilon, said. “Every year we all make notes about the show, and it keeps getting better and better. We are just really proud to be able to put on this event and give these women an opportunity to represent themselves and their organizations.”