Auburn alumna and Miss Alabama Lauren Bradford was named the first runner-up for Miss America 2022 Thursday night. Bradford was awarded a $25,000 scholarship for placing first runner-up and earned several other scholarships as part of the competition.
As the Miss America Competition celebrated its 100th anniversary, the 51 candidates represented all 50 states and the District of Columbia live as it was broadcast live from the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut.
Bradford, 21, placed behind Miss Alaska Emma Broyles, who was named Miss America 2022. Broyles walked away from the pageant with a new job, a gold crown and a $100,000 scholarship.
The competition week began on Sunday, Dec. 12, with the first night of preliminary competition followed by the second evening of preliminary competition on Monday, Dec. 13.
With three women from Alabama having won the Miss America title in the past, Bradford said in an interview with AL.com that she was prepared to step into the role and become the fourth Alabamian to win the title.
According to the article on AL.com written by Mary Colurso, before the competition took place, Bradford said she was “honored and humbled to represent the state of Alabama.”
"I’m a little biased, but I believe we have the best state in the nation," Bradford said in the article.
During Bradford’s past six months as Miss Alabama, she has made many public appearances, interacted with community groups and has been an inspiration to young people across the country.
Bradford brought her musical talent to the competition. She has been playing the violin since she was six years old and decided to learn an entirely new piece to perform at the Miss America competition.
Bradford performed a violin solo from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 on Dec. 12 at a Miss America talent preliminary.
Bradford is an advocate for UNPLUG: The Digital Diet Plan. Bradford created UNPLUG as a student at Auburn University to educate society about the harmful effects of technology overuse and offer strategies to use technology in a balanced and healthy way.
After graduating from Auburn with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and finance in spring 2021, Bradford has put further schooling on hold while she maintains her title of Miss Alabama. She plans to pursue a master’s degree in finance at Vanderbilt University in fall 2022. Per the AL.com article, she eventually hopes to work as a management and strategy consultant for an international consulting firm.
Bradford received first place for the Jean Bartel Social Impact Initiative Scholarship as part of the competition with a $10,000 scholarship. She was also awarded first place for the Dakota State University Beacom College STEM Scholarship with a $5,000 scholarship. Additionally, Bradford was a top Miss America candidate fundraiser, receiving first runner-up and a $2,500 scholarship for raising $24,327.
The Miss America organization awarded a total of $435,500 to various candidates at the competition.
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