Miss UCF crowned 1st runner-up in state pageant

Miss UCF Alexa Schmidt competed in the Miss Florida 2012 pageant this weekend and placed first runner-up for the Miss Florida crown. Had she taken home the ultimate title, she would have been the fourth consecutive UCF student to do so.

The pageant was held July 4-7 at the Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg.

Schmidt, who graduated in May with a degree in psychology, was crowned Miss UCF 2012 in November 2011 when she danced to “Someone Like You” by Adele for the talent portion and promoted SMART Moves, a program designed to promote healthy lifestyles among children, as part of her platform.

Since then, Schmidt has been active in the UCF community. Earlier this year, she started the “Heads Up: Keeping Your Eyes on the Road and off Your Phone” campaign to urge students not to text and drive, which was her platform in the Miss Florida pageant.

Schmidt said she ultimately hopes to take the pledges to Tallahassee so a law will be created to ban cellphone use in the car.

“I’m hoping with enough support they’ll be impressed with the work we’ve done. … The goal now is to get as many [signatures] as possible,” Schmidt said, mentioning that more than 3,000 people have already signed the pledge.

In the Miss Florida pageant, Schmidt earned the highest score for her dance performance in the talent competition. She danced to “It Doesn’t Hurt” by Katie Thompson, and she earned high scores in the preliminary interview and newcomer-of-the-year categories, according to UCF Today.

In the past four Miss Florida pageants, three UCF students have taken home the ultimate title: Kristina Janolo in 2011, Jaclyn Raulerson in 2010 and Rachael Todd in 2009.

As first runner-up, Schmidt was awarded a $7,100 scholarship. Laura McKeeman took home the Miss Florida title and a $16,500 scholarship.

The pageant started with 43 contestants — nine were from UCF, according to UCF Today — but that number was reduced to five after two cuts.

Schmidt and McKeeman held hands as they waited to hear the final results and ultimately, McKeeman took home the Miss Florida 2012 crown.

“It was excellent to go and represent the university,” Schimdt said. “To be there as Miss UCF along with the other [UCF] students was really amazing.”

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