Alayna Westcom

Alayna Westcom (born May 19, 1991) is an American beauty pageant titleholder from Bakersfield, Vermont, who was crowned Miss Vermont 2015. She competed for the Miss America 2016 title in September 2015. Westcom placed outside the Top 15 but was awarded a Non-Finalist Talent scholarship.

Alayna Westcom
Born (1991-05-19) May 19, 1991
Bakersfield, Vermont
EducationBay Path College,
University of Vermont
TitleMiss Vermont 2015
Beauty pageant titleholder
Major
competition(s)		Miss America 2016

Early life and education

Westcom is a native of Bakersfield, Vermont, and daughter of David and Katherine Westcom.[1] She has two siblings, Kayla and Jaren.[1] Westcom is a 2009 graduate of Bellows Free Academy. She graduated from Bay Path College in 2013 with a bachelor of science degree in forensic science.[2] She completed post-baccalaureate classes in medical laboratory science at the University of Vermont in 2014 and 2015.[3][4][5]

She is currently an autopsy technician at The University of Vermont Medical Center and a medical technologist at Northwestern Medical Center in St. Albans, Vermont.[2][3][4]

Pageant career

Vying for Miss Vermont

Westcom first entered the Miss Vermont pageant in 2010 on a platform of "Building Bonds In the Community" with a dance performance to "Piragua" from the musical In the Heights.[6] In 2011, Westcom was the fourth runner-up out of 11 competitors for the Miss Vermont title.[7][8] She also earned the Miss America Scholar Award during the pageant.[9] Her 2012 entry was the last on the community platform and in 2013 she began her "Success through STEM" campaign.[10][11] In 2014, Westcom was one of 12 competitors for the Miss Vermont crown but failed to place.[12] 2014 saw her drop her dance routine in favor of an on-stage science demonstration.[4][13]

Miss Vermont 2015

In 2015, after an on-stage evening of talent, swimsuit, and evening wear competitions, Westcom won the Miss Vermont pageant on Saturday, April 25, 2015, when she received her crown from outgoing Miss Vermont titleholder Lucy Edwards.[2] Westcom also won the People's Choice Award and earned the Miracle Maker Award as the top fundraiser for the pageant's designated charity, the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals.[14] Her duties as Miss Vermont include appearances and other functions across the state.[15]

Vying for Miss America 2016

Westcom was Vermont's representative at the Miss America 2016 pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in September 2015.[3][16] Westcom's platform was "Success through STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics".[4][2][17] Her talent performance was a scientific demonstration using yeast and hydrogen peroxide to create a dramatic tower of foam on stage.[12][3][18] In the televised finale on September 13, 2015, she placed outside the Top 15 semi-finalists and was eliminated from competition. She was awarded a $3,000 scholarship prize as her state's representative.[19][20] In addition, Westcom was awarded a $1,000 Non-Finalist Talent scholarship for her monologue and STEM performance.[21][22]

References
  1. "James M. Westcom Jr. (1930–2006)". Remembering Vermont. April 25, 2006. Retrieved June 10, 2015 – via Legacy.com.
  2. Steponaitis, Cookie (April 28, 2015). "Two New Green Mountain Girls Are Selected". The Valley Voice. Middlebury, VT. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  3. Colon, Jacob (May 14, 2015). "Miss Vermont Alayna Westcom visits Centers for Living and Rehabilitation". Bennington Banner. Bennington, VT. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  4. Buscher, Sara White (May 8, 2015). "Medical Laboratory Science Post-Baccalaureate Student Named Miss Vermont 2015" (Press release). Burlington, VT: University of Vermont. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  5. "Congratulations Miss Vermont 2015 Alayna Westcom". Miss Vermont. Archived from the original on May 31, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  6. "State Contestants: Vermont 2010". Miss America. 2010. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
  7. "Miss Vermont is selected". The Boston Globe. Boston, MA. Associated Press. June 27, 2011. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  8. "State Contestants: Vermont 2011". Miss America. 2011. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
  9. "Miss Vermont 2011 Crowned". Four Points Magazine. Grand Rapids, MI. June 27, 2011. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  10. "State Contestants: Vermont 2012". Miss America. 2012. Archived from the original on March 31, 2015. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
  11. "State Contestants: Vermont 2013". Miss America. 2013. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
  12. Blaisdell, Eric (April 28, 2014). "Not just about looks". Rutland Herald. Rutland, VT: Herald Association. Archived from the original on June 10, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  13. "State Contestants: Vermont 2014". Miss America. 2014. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
  14. "2015 Miss Vermont and Miss Outstanding Teen crowned". Burlington, VT: WCAX-TV. April 27, 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-06-10. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  15. Picard, Ken (September 2, 2015). "Miss Vermont Is a Science Nerd". Seven Days. Burlington, VT. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
  16. "State Contestants: Vermont 2015". Miss America. 2014. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
  17. Rees, Alex (September 3, 2015). "Why This Pageant Queen Will Be Blowing Stuff Up, Literally, on the Miss America Stage". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
  18. "Alayna Westcom '15 to promote STEM as Miss Vermont". University of Vermont. May 13, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2015 – via YouTube.
  19. "Miss America Show Scholarships 2016". Miss America. Archived from the original on September 7, 2015. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  20. "The 2016 Miss America Competition Scholarships & Awards" (Press release). Miss America. September 16, 2015. Archived from the original on March 25, 2016. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  21. Thurston, Jack (November 3, 2015). "Miss Vermont's Crowning Achievement: Promoting STEM Learning". New England Cable News. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
  22. "Miss Georgia, Betty Cantrell, Crowned Miss America 2016" (Press release). Miss America. September 13, 2015. Archived from the original on September 16, 2015. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Lucy Edwards		 Miss Vermont
2015		 Succeeded by
Rylee Field
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