By Maren Layton
Unexpected, thrilling and amazing are how one BYU student described her recent crowning as Miss Utah.
After representing the city as Miss Provo last year, Stacy Lynn Johnson is excited to move on and hopefully represent BYU, Provo and Utah in a positive way.
'It was a lot to take in,' Johnson said. 'I competed with 57 of the most intelligent, talented girls from all over the state. It was great to come off stage with ten new friends rooting me on.'
The competition was June 21 at Abravanel Hall in Salt Lake City.
'We are so excited for Stacy,' said Judy Dayton, director of the Miss Provo Program. 'She has been an amazing role model and representative for Provo city. We know that she will be equally as amazing as Miss Utah.'
Competitions such as Miss Utah are new to Johnson. It took a lot of convincing from family and friends for her to even participate in the Miss Provo competition. Wary of stereotypes, it wasn''t until she learned more about the service platform that she became interested.
'Taking the ''dis'' out of disability' is the platform Johnson chose to advocate. She became interested in this after working with four of her cousins who have muscular dystrophy.
'I don''t think just people with visible disabilities are disabled,' Johnson said. 'We all have a disability in our own way, whether it be physical, mental, social or a learning disability.'
Johnson spoke of the importance of celebrating diversity as she traveled to various schools and speaking events. By taking the 'dis' out of disability and looking at what people can do rather than what they can''t, they will be able to accomplish a lot more with their lives, she said.
To win the competition, Johnson championed her platform and competed in four different events including interviews (50 percent), talent (30 percent), evening gown (10 percent) and swimsuit (10 percent).
Johnson chose dance as her talent and was thrilled to win because it had been a long time since a dancer won the competition.
While at BYU, Johnson was able to improve on her talent while performing with the Cougarettes from 2000-2002.
Johnson and the 57 other contestants found themselves continuously comparing their week to the film 'Miss Congeniality.' She was pleasantly surprised by the amount of pizza consumed throughout the week.
Along with the crown, Johnson received a $10,000 scholarship. The Miss America Organization is the world''s largest competitive scholarship program available for young women. Since the scholarship program''s inception in 1945, the organization has empowered young women to achieve personal and professional goals while expressing themselves through opinion, talent and intelligence.
After graduating from BYU in fitness and wellness management, Johnson hopes to earn a master''s in physical therapy.
Any BYU student can participate in the competition for Miss Provo after fulfilling certain residency requirements. Johnson encourages students to participate because she believes so many other BYU students could be a great service to the community.
Johnson is the daughter of Curt and Tammy Johnson of Provo. She will represent Utah in the Miss America pageant in September.