Miss Georgia 2021 Karson Pennington has just returned from competing in this year's Miss America Competition, the 100th anniversary of the competition.
While Pennington did not win the crown, she was named first runner-up for the Equity and Justice Scholarship. This placement comes with a $2,000 scholarship award.
Pennington said she was considered for the award because of her work with her Social Impact Initiative: ROAR Reach Out and Read. Her Social Impact Initiative targets underserved communities to encourage literacy.
"In applying for the Equity and Justice Scholarship, I honed in on and talked a lot about how many of the books that I read to different classrooms feature different kinds of families," said Pennington. "They feature families that are adopted, they feature families with two mothers, or two fathers, or four parents, or children that are raised by grandparents or foster children."
A native of Augusta, Pennington graduated in May 2020 from the University of Georgia. She graduated Magna Cum Laude and obtained three degrees in four years: a bachelor of Arts in Political Science, a bachelor of Arts in History, and a master of Arts in Political Science and International Affairs.
Pennington is currently a second-year doctoral student at UGA studying Political Science and International Affairs. Her goal is to teach at the collegiate level.
Pennington credits her involvement with the Miss America Organization for her academic, professional and personal success. She has won $27,000 in scholarship money through her involvement with the organization.
"One day I'll be a future Dr. Pennington because of the Miss America organization," said Pennington. "The skills that I learned from the public speaking aspects and the private interview aspects, having to create my own paperwork, my own resume, being on stage has built so much confidence and I have harbored my community service skills."
Pennington said she plans to spend some time with her family and then hits the road again in January. She will travel the state of Georgia to continue promoting her Social Impact Initiative and the Miss Georgia Scholarship Organization.
To hear more from Karson Pennington, Miss Georgia 2021, and her experience at the Miss America Competition, click on the audio icon above.
