Lauren Stephens, who currently lives in Hayes, was crowned the 2024 National American Miss Virginia Queen at the state pageant held August 17-19 in Reston. She also received Best Spoken model Speech in which she spoke about overcoming her eating disorder of five years. Stephens will compete at the National Pageant held during Thanksgiving Week in Orlando, Florida. 

“I was so excited,” said Stephens. “There were so many girls at the pageant and they were all so amazing and so kind. To be chosen as the representative for the State was such an honor and something that I am ready to put the work in for. I want to do a good job representing all that Virginia has to offer and so I was of course excited but (I was) also like okay now its time to get to work and that is what I am doing.”

Stephens is a graduate of the University of Arkansas, where she graduated with her Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History. While attending the university, she earned the nationally competitive Gilman Scholarship to study abroad in Florence, Italy as well as teach English in Thailand for six months from October to April of last year. 

Stephens has been competing in National American Miss (NAM) for 10 years. She started competing at the age of 13 in Oklahoma when she received a recommendation letter in the mail from National American Miss. She won her first pageant in 2018 after four years in competition, where she was the National American Miss Oklahoma Teen.

Her platform is Painting Peace through which she leads art therapy sessions across Virginia. Stephens started this program two years ago while she was in Arkansas. She did her art therapy sessions with children at the Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter along with two teenagers on probation.

“That’s the kind of the work that I like to do, to really build kids up, because I think we all go through things in life that are too difficult to put into words. But especially for children, they are so young they don’t know yet how to properly express their emotions. But art can really help start building that self awareness and so that they know that they have a safe outlet to express those emotions.”

While in Thailand, Stephens also did her art therapy sessions with her kindergarten students.

“Now being back here in Virginia I am able to do more,” said Stephens. “I have been working with the Boys and Girls Club (in Hayes). We recently made fortune tellers, but instead of fortunes, it’s compliments.”

She also volunteers with Blooms that Brighten, which is a flower therapy program that brings together senior care community residents with volunteers where they make beautiful flower arrangements.

Stephens also talked about what National American Miss stands for and the impact that it has on young women. She explained that each pageant system is a little different in what their goals are and what they are looking for in a contestant.

“The National American Miss motto is growing confidence, because that is what it is built on,” said Stephens.

Stephens explains that contestants will go through three stages of competition which are interview, formal wear where you walk on stage in your evening gown, and personal introduction.

“By going through these three stages of competition, you can’t help but walk out of it a more confident version of yourself,” said Stephens.
Stephens also said that even if you don’t get a crown at the end of it, you are still a winner.

“It’s so much more than just the crown, it’s really setting a stage for life,” said Stephens. “National American Miss has so much to offer young women.”

Stephens said she did not win her first pageant, but she kept coming back because she saw that she still gained something; confidence. She became less scared of public speaking and made top five finalist the next year.

“This why I have kept coming back for 10 years, because each year that I do I become a better and better version of myself,” said Stephens.