2008 Cellular South Viewers' Choice Award Winner, Miss Delta State University Lauren Vance
Vicksburg, MS - (June 30, 2008) – Lauren Vance, Miss Delta State University in the recent 51st annual Miss Mississippi Pageant competition, is the 2008 winner of the Cellular South Viewers' Choice Award, which is given to the contestant who receives the most text messaging votes from customers and fans during the six-day contest.
Vance, a 22-year-old graduate of Delta State University with a degree in business and marketing, received a $5,000 scholarship award along with a mobile phone and one year of free service from Cellular South during the live statewide television broadcast of the pageant on June 28 in Vicksburg.
"I am honored to receive this award and want to thank all of my friends, family and fans for voting for me during the last week," said Vance, who plans to continue her education and pursue a masters degree in business. "Without their support and encouragement, none of my achievements would have been possible."
During the six-day contest, more than 428,000 text message votes were cast for Vance and 44 other pageant contestants by Cellular South customers and visitors to the pageant at the Vicksburg Convention Center.
"Cellular South is pleased to continue our relationship with the Miss Mississippi Pageant and to support the educational future of fine young ladies like Ms. Vance," said Jim Richmond, director of corporate communications for Cellular South, one of the nation's largest privately owned wireless carriers.
The $5,000 scholarship award from Cellular South is part of $116,700 in cash scholarships that the Miss Mississippi Corporation distributed to the 45 contestants in this year's competition, according to Pageant Director David Blackledge. Since its inception, the Miss Mississippi Corporation has provided over $2.5 million to help contestants further their education.
"We are proud to be partnering with companies like Cellular South who help us continue to be the leading scholarship provider for women in the country," Blackledge said. "We're grateful for their involvement and support of our scholarship program."
In addition, the winner of the 2008 Miss Mississippi Pageant competition – Miss Gulf Coast Christine Kozlowski – will receive a wireless phone and one year of free service from Cellular South. The 2007 winner of the Cellular South Viewers' Choice Award was Miss Hattiesburg contestant Mary Brandon Norman.
Richmond said the company is a strong supporter of education and has donated more than $2 million since 1997 to fund academic scholarships, endowments and building funds at Mississippi's eight public universities. The company also funds the Cellular South Gameplan, a statewide educational initiative designed to help more than 90,000 high school student-athletes understand NCAA academic requirements and scholarship funding opportunities while providing tools to master the skills necessary to be successful.
The Miss Mississippi Viewers' Choice Text Messaging Contest is a separate program managed by Cellular South and has no bearing or influence on the official judging of the Miss Mississippi pageant and no relationship to the winner or finalists in the competition sponsored by the Miss Mississippi Corporation.
For a complete listing of the Viewers' Choice contestants and results, visit www.cellularsouth.com/missmsvote or www.missmississippipageant.com.
About Cellular South
Cellular South is a privately-owned diversified mobile communications company passionately committed to helping customers get the most out of their wireless devices and services. The company accomplishes this goal by providing the most reliable and advanced nationwide wireless voice and data network, offering a full range of industry-leading unlimited flat rate plans, and through the world's first integrated, interactive online and in-store experience that gives customers easy, simple and convenient solutions to all of their wireless lifestyle needs. For more information, visit www.cellularsouth.com
About Miss Mississippi Corporation
The Miss Mississippi Corporation is a non-profit 501 © 4 corporation whose principal function is to conduct and stage beauty, talent and scholarship pageants. All proceeds from the organization's products fund efforts to provide scholarships to contestants who participate in the program. The Miss Mississippi Corporation is one of the nation's leading providers of scholarships to women and consistently is one of the leaders nationwide in the amount of funds raised for scholarships.
