A Columbus native has qualified for the Miss United States pageant.
The television audience this Fourth of July weekend may be confused when the contestant representing Minnesota has a Southern drawl.
Brookley Wofford was raised in Columbus and graduated from New Hope High School in 2005. After her graduation from Ole Miss, Wofford found a job in Minneapolis. On Feb. 28, just after celebrating her third anniversary of living in the Twin Cities, she was crowned Miss Minnesota.
Wofford, 28, is relatively new to the pageant game. She did not start competing until 2012, when she was crowned Miss Mississippi International.
“I didn’t grow up doing pageants or anything like that, so I’m not a typical pageant girl,” Wofford said.
She is not a typical Minnesotan either, but she’s working on it. Wofford said she loves to snowboard and has learned how to ice skate.
“I’m not that bad at hockey,” she added.
Wofford’s mother and step-father, Wanda and Kevin Taggart, live and work in Columbus. Wanda Taggart wasn’t expecting her daughter to move so far up north, or to become so involved in pageants, but said her daughter was well-suited to succeed in both.
“It really fit her personality,” Wanda Taggart said. “She’s a laid back person and she just decided to get into it.”
Wofford was crowned Miss Twin Cities in 2014.
In U.S. pageants, contestants are evaluated in four categories, each worth 25 percent of their score: there are one-on-one interviews with five separate judges; a stage question (Wofford was asked what magazine she would like to be on the cover of — she said “Fitness Magazine”); swim-wear, which she took first place in at Miss Minnesota; and evening gown.
An appearance in Miss U.S. gives Wofford a chance to continue promoting her platform, “Unlocking Confidence Through the Arts,” at a national level. Her goal is to help children with learning disabilities bridge their educational gap. She is active in many Twin Cities organizations that work to mentor students.
Now, Wofford and her supporters in Columbus are waiting and preparing for the Miss U.S. pageant in Washington, D.C. on Fourth of July weekend.
“I’m excited,” Wanda Taggart said. “I’m ready to pack. I’m ready to go. I’m overjoyed.”
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