Leigh-Taylor Smith (Col ’07) completes the interview section of the Miss America Pageant. Photo courtesy of the Miss America Pageant.
In late January, after 10 days of relentless preparation, 52 Miss America hopefuls took the Atlantic City stage for a final early-morning rehearsal with host Mario Lopez. Among them was Miss New York, Leigh-Taylor Smith (Col ’07). After she and her competitors spent hours memorizing their marks and rehearsing dance numbers in cinched dresses and glued-in-place swimsuits, they took turns napping on the decorative loveseats at the rear of the stage. They discovered, much later, that they had left drool stains all over the purple couches. “Literally hundreds of drool stains,” Smith says, laughing. So much for the glamorous lives of so-called beauty queens.
“I hate that phrase, ‘beauty queen,’” Smith says. “The most important thing to realize is that the first competition at Miss America is the interview. That’s where they get their top girls, and that says something about the Miss America organization.”
Smith also respects that the Miss America organization is primarily a scholarship-giving enterprise. While she did not take home the Miss America title, she won the Lifestyle and Fitness competition in a black Winnwear swimsuit and placed third overall. From this and other pageants—Smith was Miss Arlington and Miss Brooklyn, as well as third runner-up in two Miss Virginia pageants while she was at the University—she has earned roughly $30,000 in scholarship money. She works for an interior design firm in Manhattan and hopes to use her winnings to pursue a career in design, possibly at the Parsons School of Design at the New School in New York City.
Smith says the pageant experience has already helped her grow. “I have found myself through this. I have realized what is important to me—my platform.” One of Smith’s most passionate causes is youth empowerment through service. This year she has lobbied the New York State Senate for a bill that would make community service mandatory at all New York public high schools.
As for her own education, Smith, who majored in theater at the University and was president of the Virginia Belles, says she owes a lot to her multifaceted experience at U.Va. “I learned how to take ownership and leadership with activities in and outside of academia,” she says.
Her family’s support has also proved invaluable. Smith prepared for months with Miss America 1998, Kate Shindle, as her unofficial coach. But she had her own special coach at home. Her father, Mike Smith, head football coach at Hampton High School, has won more games than anyone in the history of Virginia high school football (and ranks in the top five nationally). But at her pageants, he’s just another nervous parent. “My dad gets more nervous for my competitions than he does for any of his games,” Smith says.
Despite all her preparation and support, Smith says she was still anxious when she finally stepped on stage under the bright lights. She wasn’t afraid that she would trip or forget her answers, but that she would burst into tears. “This was something I had wanted to do since I was younger, and I actually made it.”
iTunesU: Lectures, videos, events and more—continued education at your fingertips.
Comments
Congratulations on your achievements. The high school service initiative is something that I have personally advocated for a long time. Too few students leave their schools with a "community" perspective on life and this needs to be changed. Good luck, too, on your design career. I spent 5 years in Virginia's School of Architecture (class of '69) and I have found the work to be very rewarding. Wahoowah!!!
She majored in theatre studies @ U.Va. and wants to study interior design next? I have recently learned that U.Va. also offers majors in studio art, and more recently even dance. Would Jefferson have approved of this dilution of prospective employers' perception of the "academic rigor" formerly associated with a U.Va. undergraduate degree? Have U.Va.'s students and alumni been adequately consulted about the continued erosion of their U.Va. degrees' perceived academic rigor? And U.Va. wonders why merely 25% of alumni bother to donate, as U.S. News & World Report has documented (along with our declining reputation among academics)?
In response to Rich R: Thomas Jefferson was a proponent of maintaining physical health and studying the arts as well as traditional academic subjects. The gradual expansion of UVA in offering such majors and programs is beneficial to students who don't want to pursue the most historical, institutionalized and overcrowded degree fields in America (and there are a lot of them)! Our nation's society and economy is ever-changing, and good school programs should continually evolve to reflect these changes. The broad education that UVA provides is the monument reason why it is such a great school. UVA provides opportunities to pursue nearly any career or professional talent avenue, while still being required to attain a strong educational base in traditional subjects. As far as erosion of our degrees and "perceived academic rigor"...UVA still provides a more challenging academic program than almost any Ivy League school, and its alumni continue to be among the most successful in the nation. If only 25% of alumni have been donating to the school, I highly doubt it is due to the school not offering enough academic rigor.
And above all, congratulations to Ms Smith on her accomplishments! -UVA CLAS '08
To Matt W and other fans of U.Va.'s dumbing down of its curriculum by offering new majors in studio art, theatre and dance: Thomas Jefferson did indeed recommend living a well-rounded life. Indeed, he suggested to a family member that he embrace shooting as a recreational activity. But Matt, do you think that means Jefferson would approve of shooting's becoming the next academic-lite major offered by U.Va.? Such course majors do little more than push down the class ranks of folks in more serious CLAS major programs, thereby exerting a downward pressure on the caliber of our university's future graduates. And how much study does singing in the theatre require? Judging from American Idol, high school graduation is optional. Meanwhile, regarding your contention that: "Our nation’s society and economy is ever-changing and good school programs should continually evolve to reflect these changes." Do you have any evidence to suggest that the demand for theatre buffs, artists and dancers has or will increase? In actuality, 2/3's of Hollywood movies LOSE money. And the internet makes it easier than ever to download one's favorite music anywhere at anytime, making it tougher than ever for "also-ran" performers to come from out of the shadows and compete in economically sustainable ways. Meanwhile, have you ever heard the phrase "starving artist"? If you haven't yet, you will once you've graduated and joined the working forces (even if merely as a restaurant waiter, which is what many U.Va. CLAS graduates unfortunately become). As for your claim that U.Va. makes students in such academic-lite programs take a challenging core curriculum of courses before graduating, a handful of courses is not enough to compensate for a bushel of frivolities that such "academic" degrees essentially represent in our economy. If a company wants someone who is savvy about economic realities, they're not going to hire a dance, studio art, theatre or shooting major. Frankly the shooting major is probably more useful than the others, combined, and yet U.Va. doesn't even offer that as a major. Yet. Finally, as for your contention that: "UVA still provides a more challenging academic program than almost any Ivy League school" Where's your data to support such an INACCURATE claim? Talk with law students who did undergraduate coursework elsewhere, and especially with those who began elsewhere but then transferred to U.Va. as undergrads, only to stick around for law school. The reports simply do NOT support your contention. I'm not advocating making U.Va.'s meritorious majors more demanding, though, because I think more nerdy universities do their students a disservice by making them miss out on too many of life's valuable lessons in favor of library life during their formative years. But I nevertheless dispute your abovementioned contention, which is simply untrue. And as for your contention that U.Va.'s alumni continue to be among the most successful in the nation, I think it's easy to think of a few success stories and then generalize their successes to the entire U.Va. alumni population. Doing so is logically flawed, though, and also unsupported with empirical data. Do you have data to support that claim? My own data, namely that 25% of U.Va. alumni donate after graduating (which is at the far lower percentile among the so-called "Top 25" universities), did not persuade you that we need to better prepare our graduates for the realities of the 21st Century economy. In the sad-but-true category goes the observation that in 1987, U.Va. was ranked 16th in the nation according to U.S. News & World Report. I'll be surprised if it remains Top 25 (where it BARELY remains) with the addition of such diluted majors though.
Perhaps the "solution" to the ever-growing problem of "students" graduating from college with almost always absolutely worthless degrees like dance, theatre and studio art is to create government jobs for them? Such jobs can euphemistically be described as "community service". But as Maggie Thatcher said, a major problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money to spend. Welcome to a dose of economic reality: http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=88851 . U.S. federal obligations now exceed GLOBAL gross domestic product (and will apparently be impossible to pay). USAToday.com has published a very similar report detailing how our national debt figure is DECEPTIVELY small: . http://preview.tinyurl.com/usatodaydebtreport But at least a growing quantity of U.Va. graduates will be skilled at singing the blues?
Boy, this has stirred up quite a firestorm. I agree with Matt W. I think the quintessential renaissance man who founded our school would be happy to see the diversity of programs offered today. I am very proud of my PhD in engineering from this prestigious institution, and I don't feel that it is the least bit degraded by offerings in the performing arts. My contributions will continue.
Rich R, I'm a Double Hoo and a former Miss Virginia and 3rd RU to Miss America. In the case you are overly-interested in my academic prowess, as well, I have a Bachelor's in Social Sciences, a Bachelor's in Nursing, and a Master's degree in Global Health. My question to you is, "What super-important thing are you doing with your life that you get to spend what looks like the equivalent of ninety-five hours a day crafting complaints about the lack of academic rigor in the educational background of a girl who just won $30,000 in academic scholarship and shares the same degree as Tina Fey, one of the well-known writers of our generation?" Knock it off, Rich R. If you are proud of your own academic prowess and acheivement, put it to some USE. Congratulations, Leigh Taylor!
Rich R. – Apparently being a “dance major” was enough to impress Barack Obama. Chief of Staff, Rahm Emmanuel, was just that at Sarah Lawrence! In the real world no one cares what you majored in unless you majored in business, nursing (like Kristi), or computer science, you are going to be lumped in with all the other liberal arts majors. The fact that you graduated from UVA will be a great asset and your major will matter not. Kristi G. – Either you are embellishing or your wikipedia page is wrong about you already having your second bachelor’s degree and Masters Degree. A nursing degree will definitely get you hired but lying about your resume will get you fired!! Best of luck to Ms. Smith, and all other UVA grads, in all her future endeavors!
A degree is what you make of it; I am not sure if Rich R. is trying to paint all CLAS graduates with the same brush, but a lot of UVA's historical reputation rests on its rigorous arts and sciences programs. I am for one certainly proud of my English degree and have put it to good use. Likewise, UVA has had studio art majors for quite some time, and I know several of them who have made real beneficial and impactful contributions to their communities. I would ask Rich R. to clarify what he considers "meritorious majors" before trying to tar a broad swath of the humanities with the same brush.
I have news for you West of Virginia, no one knows if UVa has "rigorous" academics, they just know it's a state school. I've had two or three interviewers in Los Angeles ask if UVa was a good school
Rich R. seems to think that Corporate Fascism is an honorable thing and that the University’s rigorous Liberal Arts education is nothing more than a stop-gap for further technical learning and careerism. Breece Pancake turns in his grave (and Leigh-Taylor Smith transforms pageantry into something altogether new).
As a graduate of UVA and a studio art major, I am now an art teacher. I have been through many years of school - at the University as well as further degrees from other schools - to reach my current, apparently under-appreciated profession. I am sorry to see by Rich R.'s comments that the arts still have a long way to go to prove their validity as academically rigorous disciplines. I have to ask, though, what other subject focuses on visual problem-solving, critical thinking, and creativity all at the same time? Surely, these are valuable skills to have in an age when straightforward, technical work is outsourced to other countries and traditional professions seem unable to handle the nontraditional problems our world faces today. If anything, the arts are more rigorous because they require the artist to deal with the unpredictable - the human element, the hidden parts of our psyche that understand more than our conscious minds can. If you believe that this is an easy leisure activity, then you obviously have never tried it. As for the academic reputation of UVA: Like Hawkins, I have been on several interviews over the past 10 years in which my interviewers knew nothing about UVA, and these were all on the east coast! (in the south AND in New England) In Atlanta, one interviewer asked me if UVA was a 4-year school! Clearly, we need not be so concerned with appearances and reputations. Rather, we should focus on the authentic contributions we personally can make and the private satisfaction we can gain from that.
Congratulations, Leigh-Taylor. I watched the pageant and thought she did a wonderful job of representing her state and the University. Great job!
As a current Drama major (not Theatre Studies) at UVa, and someone who has participated in several Dance concerts (there is not a major yet, but they are working on it), I am guessing that Rich is simply uninformed of the affective and transformational power that art employs in the life of its creator. I would love more for Mr. R to study (really study) theatre or dance for two years, laying aside all biases and misinformed perceptions, and see if he wants to maintain his claim. Rich R., I'm not sure why you are bitter towards the arts or UVa in general, but I assure you there is nothing academic-lite about the performance arts classes at UVa. You appear to be very adamant about your position--which is wonderful because passion is an abstract quality that will get you far in theatre and dance--but if you really want to inspire others to think like you, perhaps you should speak through a medium that is renown for its power to shape public perception: film.
Leigh-Taylor...."LT" Congratulations to you on your great successes and plans to continue in design. Your preparation in the Department of Drama from performance to costume design will take you far. The Arts serve as a powerful springboard to a future of creative problem-solving, collaboration, and leadership. Keep up the great work. BRAVO!!!!
The claim that UVA's arts programs are academic-lite is ridiculous. Let us examine some evidence from my personal life that can refute this claim: -I earned an A- in Econ 201, impressing my TA enough that he wrote me a recommendation the next semester. -I earned an A in my Calculus 2 class, finishing the semester with a 103% on my final exam. -I also earned an A in Physics, receiving consistent A's on all of my tests. -I graduated from a Math and Science magnet school with a 4.0 gpa All of these claims show that as a student, I have succeeded in what may be considered "meritorious" academic pursuits. Yet none of them have provided the academic challenge I receive from the UVA dance and drama programs. There is as more reading, research, and analysis in my Directing class than I encountered in any of my aforementioned courses. My Modern I dance class requires more practice and dedication than my Econ or Math class ever did- those courses, quite frankly, were a breeze. If Rich R is concerned about UVA's reputation, perhaps he should examine ALL aspects of the university's academia.
Also, I would like to mention the studio art program at UVA is incredibly challenging. I took both Drawing and Photography. Drawing forced me to think in a way that was more difficult than any math or science course. Photography was easily the most demanding course I have ever taken. I grew as an artist from both of these classes in a way that far surpasses my growth as a mathematician or scientist from any of my previous endeavors in those topics. Though Rich R may maintain that growth as an artist is not as impressive as growth in other academic regions, I would beg to differ. Anyone (or any machine) can do double integrals or find the coefficient of friction with the right formulas. How many people can captivate the essence of human existence through a lens, a scene, a drawing, or a dance? It is this capability to see the world with a heightened sense of interpretation and observation that has brought my own successes in life. My ability to deal with these more abstract, complex notions has set me apart from my peers in applying to select academic programs (such as study abroad and distinguished majors programs) and employment. That's right, employment- even without a degree, I have been accepted into every job I have applied for. I don't mean waitressing- I have been accepted in to "practical" jobs such as working in business development for a bank. The notion of "starving artist" is only what you make of it- one of my jobs pays $21 an hour, which for an undergraduate student is pretty admirable. I do not mean to brag. In fact, I'm not that remarkable when you compare me to the accomplishments of my fellow art students. I merely aim to point out with personal evidence that the stereotype of art as useless is blatantly false.
In response to Rich R. In a letter to Dr. Joseph Priestly on January 18, 1800 Thomas Jefferson wrote, "In an institution meant chiefly for use, some branches of science, formerly esteemed, may be now omitted; so may others now valued in Europe, but useless to us for ages to come.” Our Founder goes on to list the subjects, what he called ,”sciences” that were worthy to be taught at his University, “botany, chemistry, zoology, anatomy, surgery, medicine, national philosophy, agriculture, mathematics, astronomy, geology, geography, politics, commerce, history, ethics, law, arts, and fine arts.” As a student at Mr. Jefferson's University I am proud to say that I have taken and excelled in classes involving both the arts and the sciences. My dance class is just as challenging as my organic chemistry class when it comes to preparation and execution of a complex phrase or a detailed lab experiment. May I also say that those who classify arts classes as "fly-by and easy" are sorely mistaken. People who carry this opinion are not capable of using the right side of their brain just as effectively as the left side. Finally, it is a shame that these comments are devoted to one person's inaccurate take on the programs at the University of Virginia. Instead we should all be congratulating a fellow "Hoo" and her outstanding accomplishments. Congratulations, Leigh Taylor and thank you for representing our University and its values with grace and beauty!
In response to everyone: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_troll
Congratulations to Ms. Smith. I enjoyed the new pageant format this year and am glad to hear there was a UVA grad on stage. Thank God for the fine arts and that our civilization is so fortunate that we can avail ourselves of advanced studies in these subjects. I was a drama major at the University with a focus on Costume Design. Through my major classes, I was privileged to learn about art, psychology, business, marketing, math, and English literature, among other things. I subsequently obtained a JD (summa from a top tier law school) and an LLM in Tax and currently practice in the area of employee benefits. I use the skills I learned in the drama department in my practice and credit those skills - things like collaboration (thanks Gwen West!) and how to give a presentation - as the reason I have been successful practicing law. Oh, and I'm also part of that 25% that give back to the University. And, proud to do it for an institution that values the importance of art in our culture.
Leave a Comment