Miss Mississippi Volunteer wins preliminary award at national pageant

Brooke Burleson, Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, Tupelo
·2 min read

May 5—TUPELO — Miss Mississippi Volunteer Rachel Shumaker took home the first-ever Fitness and Wellness swimsuit preliminary award at the inaugural Miss Volunteer America pageant in Jackson, Tennessee, Wednesday night.

Shumaker was awarded the title of Miss Mississippi Volunteer in July of 2021 at the Tupelo Performing Arts Center where the state pageant was held. She played the piano for her talent, winning an additional award for her musicality at the state level.

A native of Pontotoc, Shumaker is a 2021 graduate of Mississippi State University where she earned her degrees in political science and communications and public relations.

The 23-year-old future law student won a $10,000 scholarship with her state title as well as other in-kind awards and sponsorships to prepare her for the national pageant.

Shumaker said that winning the swimsuit award wasn't her goal going into Wednesday night's event because she was already proud of how far she had come throughout her journey to better health.

"I was really excited going into last night because swimsuit is my favorite part of competition, and I knew I had reached a level of fitness and wellness that I had aspired to achieve for a long time," Shumaker said. "I am really happy with my mental and physical health because of the work I put in, and it was so special to be recognized for that."

Throughout the last year, the pianist has worked closely with the Mississippi Highway Patrol to promote their D.R.I.V.E. (Driving Requires Initiative Values and Education) campaign to high school students.

Friday night, she will showcase her classical piano training as she plays "Malaguena" by Ernesto Lecuona for the talent portion of preliminary events.

The competition will wrap up Saturday evening when the top-scoring contestants from the previous categories of competition will be announced.

"My goal going into Saturday is to showcase my hard work and preparation," said Shumaker. "Everything that I've put on a stage in some way points to the success I've had to help build the Mississippi program and to hopefully help build the national program."

If Shumaker is selected as a semi-finalist, she will once again compete in talent, swimsuit and evening gown before the inaugural Miss Volunteer America is chosen.

Miss Volunteer America aims to promote scholarship, education, responsibility, volunteerism and empowerment. The winner of Saturday night's pageant will receive a $50,000 scholarship.

BROOKE BULLOCK BURLESON is a digital producer for the Daily Journal. Contact her at brooke.burleson@djournal.com.