Miss Arkansas Savvy Shields was crowned Miss America 2017 at an event held Sunday in Atlantic City, New Jersey. She impressed the judges with her thoughts on the Democratic nominee for president, Hillary Clinton, in the Q&A round.
Advertisement
She went on to say both of the “contestants” in the race had done a “great job” before correcting herself with a laugh and saying she actually meant the candidates.
The Fayetteville native is a senior at the University of Arkansas and she’s a Goodwill Ambassador for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.
Expanding on her comments about the political climate after the ceremony, Shields said, “Our country was founded on compromise”.
Shields, who adopted “eat better, live better” as her platform for the competition, earlier performed a jazz dance to “They Just Keep Moving the Line” from the TV show “Smash”.
The heels came off but the crown stayed on as Miss America began her reign with a romp in the Atlantic City surf Monday, hours after winning the title.
Shields shared that she is an art major in college and also has a passion for helping people make healthier food choices.
“It’s really important for me just to exist in this capacity as completely who I am and be open and proud about it for the LGBT community”, she said this week.
Shields takes the title from Miss Georgia 2015. “I am so excited to see you all”.
The victor was announced Sunday night at the pageant in Atlantic City, N.J. She replaces Miss America 2016, Betty Cantrell. A closer look at Savvy’s role in the Miss America pageant lends some clues to her personality and social views, while details about her life reveal more about the beauty pageant victor as a person.
Shields later said she wants Clinton and Donald Trump to “compromise”. Whitworth flew home from Atlantic City on Friday and watched the rest of the Miss America Pageant on television.
Advertisement
Shields is a member of the University of Arkansas’ chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma.
