Lora Current prepares for Miss America in Coshocton

Leonard L. Hayhurst, Coshocton Tribune
·4 min read
Vicki Maple and Madison Miller listen to Miss Ohio Lora Current as Tiffany Swigert of the Coshocton Port Authority watches. Current recently came to Coshocton to participate in a mock judges panel as preparation for Miss America. Miller wants to pursue the title of Miss Ohio in 2022.
Vicki Maple and Madison Miller listen to Miss Ohio Lora Current as Tiffany Swigert of the Coshocton Port Authority watches. Current recently came to Coshocton to participate in a mock judges panel as preparation for Miss America. Miller wants to pursue the title of Miss Ohio in 2022.

COSHOCTON — If Miss Ohio Lora Current claims the crown as Miss America, she'll have Coshocton to partially thank.

The native of Rosewood and student at Ohio State University recently visited Coshocton for her last preparation session before meeting with Miss America judges. The mock panel was held at the Township Room in Rosoce Village. The Miss America competition will be Dec. 12 to 16 at Mohegan Sun Resort, in Connecticut.

Vicki Maple, a volunteer for Miss Ohio for 33 years, was appointed by the organization to assist with Miss America preparation for Current. Maple has several connections in Coshocton and wanted to stage the mock judges panel there. Locals involved included former Mayor Steve Mercer and Tiffany Swigert and Sherri Gibson of the Coshocton Port Authority.

"I wanted to bring (Current) to Coshocton to experience another community in Ohio, the state she represents. But, more specifically, for Miss America, these are the types of experiences she'll be enduring everyday as Miss America. These roundtable discussions, these boardroom discussions, meeting professionals," Maple said. "For her to have this opportunity to engage in adult conversation, professional conversation, it's going to prepare her not just for the interview for the competition, but her job as Miss America."

Miss Ohio Lora Current answered questions from Tiffany Swigert of the Coshocton Port Authority and Dylan Daniels, producer of the Miss Ohio Outstanding Teen program, among others during a Miss America preparation session in Coshocton.
Miss Ohio Lora Current answered questions from Tiffany Swigert of the Coshocton Port Authority and Dylan Daniels, producer of the Miss Ohio Outstanding Teen program, among others during a Miss America preparation session in Coshocton.

Maple said Current is a solid young woman who knows herself well, even at the age of 20. Current has the non-profit #ReadOnUSA, penned the graphic novel "The Way I See" about her dyslexia and journey to becoming a lifelong reader, served as an intern in the Ohio House of Representatives, is a five-time state champion seamstress, has done missionary work in South America and shown farm animals on a national level.

"What I've observed in her is her level of self-awareness and her emotional intelligence. It's well beyond that of many other young women you meet along the way, competition or not. She's just an incredibly well-rounded individual," Maple said. "She's so driven and has a lot of grit."

Serving as a warmup interview for the questioners was Madison Miller of Coshocton, who competed in Miss Ohio this past year and developed a friendship with Current. Miller wants to compete on the pageant circuit again in 2022 and hopefully earn a second shot at Miss Ohio.

"This organization is not about beauty or the pageant; it's about your heart, your service, the scholarship. I wanted to be part of that to make myself a better person," Miller said. "I had three goals — to be a better woman, to be a better leader and to create a future for myself. I knew this organization could provide that."

Current's feelings are similar. Miss America over the past several years has transitioned away from being a beauty pageant to being a scholarship program. She feels in its 100th year, Miss America is as relevant as ever.

"Two years ago, I had no idea of this organization being anything more than a beauty pageant. It was meeting people who had been apart of the program that really drew me in," Current said. "It was a beautiful thing competing at Miss Ohio and learning what the program really is. I think having a deeper understanding of the heart behind the program, what I learned from it, is how well it coordinates with my heart; not just competing in the organization, but my future goals and aspirations."

Current said since winning Miss Ohio she's had several interviews over Zoom, but the in-person session in Coshocton was helpful. She said rules recently changed where she'll be sitting at a table, not standing at a podium, with a larger number of judges than in years past.

"I'm a very hands-on person, so this just helped me to visualize and prepare me," Current said.

While she lives in Columbus now as a student at OSU, she's from a small town like Coshocton with a deep agricultural history and appreciated connecting with the community.

"One of the job descriptions is a beacon of hope, and you can do that through meeting people and having relationships with communities," Current said.

llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com

@llhayhurst

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This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: Lora Current prepares for Miss America in Coshocton