Nursing major, Venezuelan native crowned 26th Miss CSU
March 18, 2025
On Saturday, Feb. 22, Columbus State University crowned Valeria Saer its 26th Miss CSU. The junior nursing major will represent the university this summer in the Miss Georgia Scholarship Pageant, part of the Miss America Organization.
As Miss CSU, Saer receives a $1,500 tuition scholarship and a $500 bookstore scholarship. Other pageant awards included the:
- Katelyn Pawlowski Spirit of CSU Award, awarded to Saer for embodying the university’s values. It is named after two-time alumna and 2013 Miss CSU Katelyn Pawlowski Miller ’14, ’18.
- Hayley Henderson Community Service Award, awarded to junior kinesiology major Yasmin Harris, also of Columbus. The award, named for two-time alumna and 2011 Miss CSU Hayley Henderson Tillery ’12, ’15, honors the contestant who best exemplifies a service mindset.
ABOUT SAER
Saer, the daughter of Pedro and Alicia Saer (pictured), was born in Venezuela. She
moved to Miami when she was 10, relocated permanently to Columbus when she was 17
and graduated from Columbus’ Northside High School in 2023. She is enrolled in CSU’s
Honors College, is active in its Honoris Causa student organization, and participates in the university’s Model United Nations program as she shares her multicultural perspective with her classmates.
Her pageant talent, flamenco dancing, reflects her Latin roots. It is a passionate and expressive Spanish art form characterized by intricate footwork, powerful hand movements and a deep emotional intensity. She describes it as “very passionate and emotionally intense, so it translates well on stage.”
Saer shares her Venezuelan culture with her peers through the CHISPA student organization, the Columbus State University Hispanic Association, as its vice president. It supports and provides community for Hispanic students while sharing cultural perspectives with the rest of campus. She hopes her reign inspires other students who share her Latino heritage to maximize their college experiences.
“Para mi gente y mis latinos en esta universidad: los quiero y los adoro, aunque no los conozca a todos todavía. Hago esto por ustedes, y por nuestras familias que han sacrificado todo,” she posted on Instagram. (Translation: “For my people and my Latinos at this university: I love you all and I adore you all, even though I may not know you all yet. I do this for you, and for our families who have sacrificed everything.”)
While an active member of Columbus State’s student body, Saer is a newcomer to the pageant scene but considers the role a way to support first-generation college students like herself. Her platform, “First Generation Forward: Changing Lives through Education,” builds on the fact that more than 23% of the university’s student body are first-generation college students. Through her platform, she wants to demystify higher education for families who have never considered college while creating for them better awareness of and access to information on applying to college, securing financial aid and scholarships, and celebrating the successes of first-generation college students.
“Education is the foundation of opportunity, and I believe in its power to change
lives,” she explained. “‘First Generation Forward’ aims to inspire others to break
generational cycles and embrace the transformative potential of learning. Together,
we can increase the percentage of first-generation students pursuing a college education,
creating a future where success is accessible to all.”
She has already taken her platform to area schools like Key Elementary School (pictured), where she read to kindergartners and third graders.
“Moments like these remind me why I love what I do. Inspiring young minds and showing them that their dreams are always within reach,” she said.
ABOUT THE MISS CSU PROGRAM
The role of Miss CSU is influential, as demonstrated by the retiring Miss CSU, Kennedy Larkin. As an elementary education major, Larkin devoted her year to representing the university and bringing greater focus to the growing issue of domestic violence. Her platform included workshops for college students to learn more about domestic violence’s many forms and resources for those coping with or recovering from it.
“Miss Columbus State University has taught me compassion, kindness, selflessness,
and has given me so many other character traits that I am excited to carry forth,”
Larkin (pictured) reflected. “This year, I’ve contributed so much to the Columbus
community, … [and] I’ve also been able to start a nonprofit aligning with my platform.”
In addition to establishing her Peace Starts Here Foundation to advocate for women suffering from domestic violence so they can feel seen, heard and saved, Larkin broadened her pageantry involvement to include the Miss Greater Columbus title in September 2024.
The Miss CSU Scholarship Program Pageant includes four competitive phases—a pre-event interview, a live on-stage interview, talent and evening wear—that combined form each contestant’s score. Judges for the Feb. 22 Miss CSU Pageant included:
- Raquel Aponte, the education abroad coordinator in the university’s Center for Global Engagement and a 2024 alumna.
- Katherine Cannon, a purchasing and procurement professional at Columbus State and a two-time graduate.
- Alexis Gray, a two-time Columbus State graduate and the university’s assistant director of alumni & student engagement.
- Kewanna Taylor, a Muscogee County School District social studies teacher and 2017 Columbus State secondary education alumna who completed in the Miss CSU pageant as a student.
“Since the first Miss CSU was crowned in 1999, the Miss CSU Scholarship Program has provided opportunities for young women to expand their quest for knowledge and acquire skills to better equip them for future opportunities,” said Dr. Gina Sheeks, vice president of student affairs. “Reigning Miss CSUs have honed their leadership skills and developed a greater sense of personal, professional and community awareness as they represent the student body and university.”
The reigning Miss CSU must be available to serve as the university’s official ambassador during her entire year of service and be willing to make as many appearances, parades and events as possible. For previous Miss CSUs, this included meetings and interaction with students, Cougar athletics fans, city and state officials, community leaders, and alumni.
Participation in the Miss CSU program is open to any female undergraduate or graduate student currently enrolled at Columbus State University. She must have completed at least one full semester of courses, maintained a 2.5 or higher GPA, be currently single and never married, and be a U.S. citizen—all of which comprise the requirements to participate in the Miss Georgia Scholarship Pageant as Columbus State’s official delegate. If the newly crowned Miss CSU is a graduating senior or in her final year of graduate school, she must be willing to continue representing CSU on campus and in the community for the entire year of her service.
Like past Miss CSUs, Saer will be Columbus State’s official representative to the Miss Georgia Scholarship Pageant this summer and, if successful there, to the Miss America pageant.
For more information about Miss CSU or to request a Miss CSU appearance, visit the Miss CSU website.
Media contact: Michael Tullier, APR, Executive Director of Strategic Communication + Marketing, 706.507.8729, mtullier@columbusstate.edu