February 11, 2022

Columbus State University and the Miss Georgia Scholarship Competition are pleased to announce a new partnership that will amplify community involvement and promote both scholarship competitions.

For the first time, the two organizations are co-hosting their annual scholarship competitions. Both Miss CSU and Miss Columbus will be crowned on Saturday, Feb. 19, held on CSU’s Main Campus in University Hall. The open-style competition will allow CSU students to be crowned Miss Columbus. 

The partnership allows more young women to enter the competitions and will continue after the scholarship competition, with the new titleholders working together in the community on a variety of initiatives.

"We are extremely grateful for the opportunity to partner with the Miss Columbus organization,” said William Keen, CSU’s coordinator for the event. “This partnership allows for Miss Columbus State to continue to grow and provide more opportunities for our students to gain scholarship support, leadership experience, personal development, and be more involved in the Columbus community.”

The competition’s scored elements will include private interviews, on-stage questions, talent and evening wear, and social impact. 

Miss CSU serves as a representative for Columbus State, participating in community and campus events, and raising awareness for her chosen platform. As part of the Miss America Organization, Miss CSU will go on to compete for Miss Georgia in June. The Miss Georgia competition takes place annually in Columbus and recognizes over 30 titleholders.

Elise Higgins, Miss CSU 2020 and 2021, is a senior kinesiology major with goals to attend graduate school and become a NCAA Division I athletic director and head cheerleading coach.

“I would say I’m most proud of the growth I’ve had as a titleholder in general,” she said. “I’m more comfortable speaking in interviews and in my community, and I’ve become more confident in who I am and what I want to accomplish through this organization. I’m also proud to have been able to represent the best university for two years and to have lived out my dream of representing my university on the Miss Georgia Stage.”

Safiyyah Abdullah, Miss Columbus 2020 and 2021, is a CSU graduate student studying organizational leadership. She previously served as Miss CSU in 2019.

“I am most proud of being able to achieve my long-time dream of working with students at the Department of Juvenile Justice during my time as Miss Columbus,” she said. “Being able to learn from the girls I conducted my workshop with and see the joy the experience brought them was life-changing. I found that simply showing up for students as ourselves and believing in them can significantly change their trajectory.”

Miss CSU 2022 will receive $1,500 in tuition support and a $500 bookstore scholarship. The first runner-up will receive $300 in tuition support and a $200 bookstore scholarship; the second runner-up, $200 in tuition support and a $100 bookstore scholarship. 

The event begins at 7 p.m. and will feature Miss Georgia 2021 Karson Pennington as emcee. Tickets will be sold at the door and are $5 for CSU students and $15 for the general public.