St. George runner-up says Miss Volunteer America is more than a beauty pageant

Written by Stephanie DeGraw
July 26, 2023

ST. GEORGE — Participating in pageants has given a St. George woman professional growth, confidence and a recent win at a national show.

Hillary Beecher, age 26, was crowned second runner-up at the Miss Volunteer America Pageant, Jackson, Tennessee, unspecified date | Photo courtesy of Hillary Beecher, St. George News

In June, Hillary Beecher, 26, was named second runner-up at the Miss Volunteer America Pageant in Jackson, Tennessee. Beecher was among 51 other contestants who were rated on an interview, evening gown, swimsuit and talent. Each state plus the District of Columbia was represented during the pageant whose roots date back to 2020.

“My professional growth is because of pageantry because it pushed me out of my comfort zone,” Beecher told St. George News. “To be able to answer those questions in front of a panel of five or six judges, or even on a stage in front of hundreds of people which can be so intimidating, but honestly, it’s a confidence booster.”

Beecher said pageant representatives reached out to her to represent South Dakota since she had experience and that state needed an entrant. She said the purpose of this new pageant/organization is to empower women and their focus to give back to their communities.

According to the website, the Miss Volunteer America Pageant stands for more than just a beauty competition. “It goes beyond physical appearance to honor you women who demonstrate a genuine commitment to making a positive impact in their communities through volunteer work.” The event features exceptional individuals who “embody the value of service, compassion and leadership.”

Beecher thought she was done with pageants when the organization contacted her. She has been in Miss Utah and other beauty and talent pageants. Beecher said her participation in pageants helped her land her current job. She was initially going to be a physician assistant or attend medical school.

But then she didn’t get into medical school and was frustrated with which career path to choose.

Hillary Beecher answers an interview question and was crowned second runner-up at the Miss Volunteer America Pageant, Jackson, Tennessee, unspecified date | Photo courtesy of Hillary Beecher, St. George News

“I was a little bit frustrated trying to decide if I was going to apply to medical school again and what I would do,” Beecher said. “I had to decide to go to the clinic or to the sales side of medicine. And I’d never done sales before. I went through a pretty vigorous interview process in order to get my current position.”

Beecher said she was nervous when she flew out to Los Angeles to interview with the vice president of the western division of her company Applied Medical. She said her experience with many mock interviews to prep for state and national competitions helped her.

“I felt so confident going into that room because I knew if I could hold my ground, discussing very hard political topics, that I would be able to answer whatever I needed to answer in the best possible way to express myself and why I was the best person for this job,” Beecher said. “And now I’ve been here for almost a year and love it, but I really think it was because of my experience in pageantry that I got this job.”

During her past pageants, Beecher played the piano for the talent portion. She later developed arthritis, making it too painful for her to perform. For the Miss Volunteer Pageant, she presented the monologue “Expectations of Women.”

She spoke about expectations that women face from a societal or community point of view, a family point of view or even a religious point of view and how women can feel like they are in a box because of these demands. Beecher said that women can break free of that.

“I expressed it in my personal experience and it just felt so powerful. And one thing I love doing is talking to people, believing in them and motivating them,” Beecher said. “So to be able to do that on a national stage. It was so powerful to me.”

Beecher’s platform of service is the site she created called Safe Scrolling. Since 2020, she has conducted the following:

  • Conducted six Parent Seminars for Youth Protection
  • Presented to numerous Elementary, Middle, and High schools regarding safe media
  • Collaborated with 65 public schools to implement digital literacy education
  • Keynote speaker at three youth leadership conferences regarding tech safety
  • Common Sense Media Digital Literacy Curriculum trained
  • Advertised, offered and carried out curriculum training for community parents.

Beecher attended Pine View High School and Utah Tech University. She has participated in many service projects, including working with the Salvation Army and community shoe drives through Soles4Souls. Beecher also traveled to the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua to assist with medical services.

Beecher graduated in 2018 with a Bachelor’s in Biology with a Biomedical Science Emphasis. While at Utah Tech, she received a Trustees Academic Scholarship, was on the Dean’s and President’s Lists and was a Cum Laude Graduate.

Beecher is based in American Fork, Utah, and runs her territory as an account manager. She is responsible for a region covering hospitals and surgery centers from South Salt Lake to Mesquite, Nevada and Grand Junction, Colorado. Her family still resides in St. George.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephanie DeGraw is an award-winning journalist. For 25 years, she engaged in journalism, broadcasting and public relations. DeGraw worked for the Salt Lake Tribune, Associated Press and The City Journals. She was a reporter for a CBS television station in Twin Falls, Idaho. She graduated from Weber State University with a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism and Broadcasting.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGnews

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