Miss Pensacola sets her sights on Miss Florida - and Miss USA

A University of West Florida woman already crowned Miss Pensacola will represent the community at the Miss Florida USA pageant in May.

Lauren Adams, 21, was crowned Miss Pensacola in September. Before she tackles the statewide stage, however, she will be competing for Miss North Florida Scholarship Pageant on Jan. 27-28 in Marianna.

Adams is a junior at the University of West Florida and is studying to be a physician assistant with a major in exercise science and a minor in interdisciplinary science.

While still attending UWF, she moved back to her hometown of Destin, where she had previously served as Miss Destin 2020. She will be representing Destin at the Miss North Florida pageant.

More:Miss Destin Lauren Adams juggles school, work and fish, and loves every minute of it

“You go and talk about your hometown, there is fun fashion and an interview process, then an on-stage question,” Adams said. “I think doing Miss Destin really helped me to be confident with that stuff,” she said.

The school scholarship can bring anywhere between $2,000 and $5,000.

“A semester paid for is a semester paid for … you can’t go wrong with that,” she said.

The judges recently received the women's biographies and much of their score will be based off of community service and things they do in school.

Adams is in the Alpha Delta Pi sorority at UWF and serves as vice president with the sorority. She chose that sorority because of their involvement with the Ronald McDonald House in Pensacola.

“I fell in love with their philanthropy,” she said.

She also helped to start a women’s led ministry this past year at UWF.

“There are so many things you can be involved in, in your school and community. I love serving,” she said.

Adams said she loves being an advocate for little girls and letting them know they can be whatever they want to be.

“I think a lot of it is … my mom’s friends that have little girls, they look up to me and want to be that representation. It’s a confidence boost that makes me want to take it to the next level,” she said.

As Miss Pensacola she has supported brain injury awareness because of an uncle who died from a brain injury 10 years ago.

“That’s my big thing, knowing that you can do stuff past a small platform, and make it bigger on a bigger level. Just being an advocate, I like what I do,” she said.

If Adams wins the Miss Florida pageant in May the next step would be the Miss USA pageant.

“I haven’t thought that far,” she threw up her hands with a smile on her face and said. “I’m just going step by step.”

For now, her goal is to become a physician assistant.

After she graduates in the spring of 2024, her plans are to enter the Air Force and finish her PA schooling.

“You can’t go wrong with the military, whether it takes four years or eight years, I’ll be serving my country,” she said.

However, if she were to win the Miss Florida, “that could open up a whole new thing. But I think the plan is to stick with school."

“If that opens another door, it’s another door and we’ll just see where God takes me at that point, that’s the way I see it,” Adams said. “But the plan right now is finish school through the Air Force and do pageants along the way,” she said.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Miss Pensacola Lauren Adams sets sights on Miss Florida - and Miss USA