"There she is — Miss America…"
From a bathing-beauty contest on the boardwalk of Atlantic City, New Jersey, in 1921, the Miss America pageant was born.
An American icon and 100+ year-old brand — Miss America is more than a title. It is a movement of:
- Empowering young women to dream big
- Insisting that their voices be heard
- Inspiring change in the world around them
What Participants Gain
Participants in the Miss America pageant system acquire lifelong skills while:
- Earning scholarships
- Meeting other like-minded women
- Cultivating their own personal style
- Engaging within their communities
That combination — scholarship, sisterhood, style, success — is what the Four Points of the Crown represent across every level of the Miss America system.
The Leading Provider of Scholarships for Young Women
The Miss America Organization is the leading provider of scholarships for young women in the world.
Each year, more than $41 million dollars in cash and tuition scholarship assistance is made available to the 12,000 young women who compete in this pageant system across the United States — on local, state, and national levels.
For a young woman pursuing higher education, the financial aid available through Miss America participation can be transformative — covering tuition, books, fees, and the kind of educational costs that often determine whether a degree is achievable.
500,000 Community Service Hours
These dedicated young women who compete for the coveted titles of Miss America and Miss America's Teen donate more than 500,000 hours of community service each year — making the Miss America Organization one of the largest community service organizations in the country.
That stat surprises people. The Miss America system is often misunderstood as a beauty competition. It's actually one of America's largest organized community-service networks, with each delegate completing dozens to hundreds of community-service hours during their year of participation.
The Women's Scholarship Foundation of Klamath County
Here in Southern Oregon, the Miss Klamath County–Miss City of Sunshine Scholarship Program — presented by the Women's Scholarship Foundation of Klamath County — is an official preliminary competition to the Miss Oregon and Miss Oregon's Teen Scholarship Program.
The winners of Miss Oregon and Miss Oregon's Teen continue on to compete at Miss America and Miss America's Teen — the national-level final.
Our Mission
Prepare great women for the world; and prepare the world for great women.
That two-part mission captures exactly what the program does:
- Prepare great women — through scholarship, mentorship, community engagement, and the skill development that competition produces
- Prepare the world for great women — by sending women into leadership roles, communities, and platforms where their voices and impact will be heard
What Participants Take Away
Beyond the scholarship dollars and the visible competitions, participants gain:
Leadership skill
Public speaking, on-stage poise, interview competence, and the kind of confidence that comes from putting yourself in front of judges, audiences, and cameras.
Networking
The Miss America system connects young women across the country — fellow delegates, judges, alumnae, mentors, and the kind of professional network that opens doors for decades.
Community service initiative
Every Miss America-system participant develops a Community Service Initiative (CSI) — a cause they advocate for during their year of service. These initiatives produce real change in real communities.
Talent development
The talent competition encourages participants to develop a performance art at the level required to compete on stage — producing skill that lasts a lifetime.
Mentorship
Local boards, regional and state directors, and alumnae provide mentorship that shapes participants' personal and professional development.
Why Miss Klamath County Matters Locally
For the Klamath Basin, having a strong Miss Klamath County–Miss City of Sunshine program:
- Sends Klamath young women to Miss Oregon with strong preparation
- Creates community-service initiatives that benefit local nonprofits and causes
- Provides scholarship dollars that fund Klamath young women's education
- Builds a network of local alumnae who support and mentor the next generation
- Showcases Klamath County at state and national levels
Recent Local Success
In 2024, Miss Klamath County Allyssa Defillipo was named Miss Oregon Top 5 and Fourth Runner-Up — covered in this magazine's August 2024 cover story.
That kind of success at the state level reflects the strength of the Klamath County program and the caliber of young women the basin sends into the Miss Oregon system.
How to Get Involved
For Klamath Basin young women considering participation:
- Connect with the Klamath County program through the program's directors
- Attend an information session to understand the year-of-service commitment
- Talk to alumnae about their experiences
- Prepare your application — including talent selection, CSI development, and the documentation required
For Klamath Basin community members who want to support the program:
- Sponsor a delegate — financial support for competition costs, wardrobe, travel
- Donate to the Women's Scholarship Foundation of Klamath County — funding the scholarship dollars distributed to participants
- Volunteer for production work, judging, hosting, and the dozens of behind-the-scenes roles
- Attend program events — local crowning ceremonies, fundraisers, community appearances
Thank You
To the Women's Scholarship Foundation of Klamath County board — for the unpaid work of running a competitive program at this level.
To every Miss Klamath County, Miss City of Sunshine, and Teen delegate who has worn the local sashes over the years — and used their year of service to give back to the basin.
To the alumnae network that supports the next generation of participants.
To the community members, sponsors, and donors who make the scholarship dollars and program operations possible.
"There she is — Miss America." Here in Klamath County, we're preparing exactly the kind of great women who might one day wear that crown — and the world that's ready for them.
For information on participation or support, connect with the Miss Klamath County–Miss City of Sunshine Scholarship Program through the Women's Scholarship Foundation of Klamath County.
Onward.