By CAITLIN HOFEN, Features Editor
A Northwestern student and the university president’s granddaughter represented Northwestern at the Miss Oklahoma pageant this summer.
Junior business administration major Liberty Bird competed in the Miss Oklahoma pageant as Miss Northwestern from June 6 to June 12 at the River Spirit Casino Resort in Tulsa. Bird’s attendant was Brooklyn Zimmerman, Northwestern President Dr. Janet Cunningham’s granddaughter.
“I didn’t place at Miss Oklahoma,” Bird said. “But I will say that I am very happy with what I put out there.”
Bird was crowned Miss Northwestern in fall of 2019 and has kept the title for two years because the coronavirus pandemic caused the 2020 pageant to be canceled.
“I’ve had a long reign,” Bird said. “As Miss Northwestern, you have to uphold that title and represent Northwestern well. For me, I had to represent my community well, because I’m the first Miss Northwestern from Alva in a very long time.”
The 2020 Miss Oklahoma pageant was initially postponed, leaving Bird and the other contestants in limbo.
“We didn’t find out we weren’t going to compete until less than a month before,” Bird said. “I was already prepared and ready for the pageant. First, it was pushed back to July. Then, it was decided to wait an entire year.”
Bird said she took the extra year as an opportunity to prepare herself more for Miss Oklahoma.
“I am very invested in physical fitness and work out every day,” Bird said. “Especially before Miss Northwestern and Miss Oklahoma, I worked my butt off in the gym. Another big part was my social impact. For me, my social impact was ‘Feel Good, Give Blood.’ So, I helped with a lot of blood drives and flash calls encouraging people to donate. The extra year gave me more community service time.”
A week-long event, the Miss Oklahoma contest started with rehearsals for the contestants.
“The first few days were definitely rough,” Bird said. “We had rehearsal after rehearsal, all day long. So, the first three days were definitely tiring. It was interesting because we didn’t have the spring meeting, where you get to see everyone’s talents. I didn’t really know anyone beforehand.”
Bird was interviewed by the judges. She also promoted her social impact statement, performed her talent and showcased her evening gown.
“My interview was Tuesday morning, and I think it went really well,” Bird said. “The judges were super nice, but I think they know what they’re looking for when someone walks in the room. Tuesday night was my social impact statement, which consisted of a 30-second social impact pitch, then an on-stage interview. I would much rather sing on-stage than talk, so that was what I was most nervous about.
“Wednesday night was evening gown, and that one was a breeze. I just had to walk on stage and look pretty. Thursday night was talent, and once again, I felt pretty good about it. I was happy with what I did because I was losing my voice throughout the week. By Saturday, I kind of knew I wasn’t going to make Top 10 because there were so many great girls competing, too.”
Bird said she enjoyed competing in the Miss Oklahoma pageant, but she doesn’t plan to do it again.
“It was a good experience, but I don’t think it was for me,” Bird said. “It takes so much to prepare for it. It’s a great organization, and I met a lot of great girls. For me, it was a one-time experience that I was honored to do.”
Zimmerman accompanied Bird on-stage as the Northwestern Star during the evening gown portion of the competition.
“My favorite part about Miss Oklahoma was getting all dressed up in my dress and watching the talents,” Zimmerman said.
A fourth-grader, Zimmerman said she was nervous before going on-stage.
“It was exciting, but I was so nervous at the same time,” Zimmerman said. “It was a really big stage with a packed audience.”
Cunningham and her husband, Rick, accompanied Zimmerman to Tulsa and watched their granddaughter on the Miss Oklahoma stage.
“It was so neat to watch her on stage,” Janet Cunningham said. “She said she was nervous, but she didn’t look it. She looked very poised. I could picture her in a few years maybe competing. At that moment, I wasn’t the president of Northwestern. I was Brooklyn Zimmerman’s proud grandma.”
The 2022 Miss Northwestern pageant will be Oct.31 at 4 p.m. in Herod Hall.
