After her run as Miss America, Savvy will return to the University of Arkansas as a senior studying art and long-term she wants to “work in a museum and teach at a collegiate level”.
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“I hope that at the end of my year, we’re starting to reward politicians for compromise”, she said.
While there weren’t any accidental mis-crownings during Sunday’s live show [cue the aw-shucks-where’s-Steve-Harvey], the Miss America 2017 pageant did set a new record: Arkansas now has its third victor since the pageant began in 1921.
During the Q&A part of the competition, Savvy was asked to give her opinion of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
Meeting reporters after the pageant, Shields elaborated. I think that we need to support both of these people. “Our country was founded on compromise”.
For winning, Shields is guaranteed a six-figure salary and paid expenses during her year-long reign, as well as a $50,000 scholarship and an appearance agreement with Dick Clark Productions. The preceding Miss America, Betty Cantrell, crowned Shields at the conclusion of the event that was held at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.
Gold medalist Gabby Douglas told PEOPLE she was thrilled to be asked to judge the competition. She responded by saying, “If you’re trying to be leader of the free world, everything you say and do matters”.
Shields, who in a preliminary round of the competition last week won an earlier talent competition, was named Miss Arkansas in July. She said she still has the soundtrack from the canceled TV show in her vehicle, where she plays it often. Her secret dream is to be a backup dancer for Beyoncé.
The new Miss America should be crowned around 11 p.m.
Miss Missouri Erin O’Flaherty, unfortunately, didn’t even make it to the top 15.
During the talent competition, it appeared when Lewis hit the final line in her song “A Piece of Sky” that says, “Just watch me fly”, that she knew she had a good chance.
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The top 15 finalists in the Miss America pageant have been announced.
