Campbell student crowned Miss North Carolina USA

     Nineteen year-old Samantha Holvey was ecstatic to make the top 15 and astonished to remain in the final rounds, but when the Campbell University student heard the name of the first runner-up for Miss North Carolina USA called and it wasn’t hers, she almost fainted.
     “I’ve been dreaming about this and working so hard for so long, the whole thing seemed surreal,” Holvey said. “But my mom always said that if you can dream it, you can do it.”
     A native of Glenville, W.Va., Holvey was crowned Miss North Carolina USA on Oct. 29 in High Point, N.C. The pageant is part of the Miss Universe organization owned by Donald Trump and the NBC Television Network. As Miss North Carolina USA, Holvey will be eligible to compete in the Miss USA Pageant and could ultimately be a contestant in the Miss Universe Pageant
     “Our program is an excellent vehicle for young ladies who are recognized as the elite women of today and tomorrow,” said Paula M. Miles, executive director of RPM Productions, Inc., which produces the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants for the Carolinas and Louisiana. “If crowned as a state representative, a titleholder’s year is exclusively designed with her personal and career goals in minds.”
     As the winner of Miss North Carolina USA, Holvey received a prize package including cash, a fashion wardrobe, agency interviews and scholarship money. She will compete in the Miss Universe USA which traditionally awards over $225,000 in cash and prizes.
     Holvey turned down the full scholarship to High Point University that came with the Miss North Carolina USA title in order to continue her education at Campbell.
     “I know it sounds crazy, but I just couldn’t leave my friends and professors here,” she said.
     As a sophomore at Campbell, Holvey is active in Campus Crusade for Christ, the Camel Crazies spirit organization and the student Public Relations Society of America. She also works for Campbell Radio Station WCCE as an announcer and on-air operator.
     “Samantha is very reliable and very talented,” said Station Manager Travis Autry. “I think she has enormous potential to pursue anything she wants to pursue and would be an asset to any organization.”
     With a concentration in broadcast journalism, Holvey’s goal is to become a correspondent for a national news network and eventually host her own talk show.
     “I wasn’t one of those little girls competing in pageants,” said Holvey, whose pageant career didn’t get started until she was a freshman in high school. “I always watched pageants growing up and wanted to be one of those beautiful young ladies I saw on television. When I placed in my second pageant, I began to think, ‘I’m good at this,’” she said.
     Holvey is the daughter of Sue Holvey and Bill Holvey. She has a sister, Burke Holvey, who is 21.


Photo Copy: Campbell sophomore, Samantha Holvey, is crowned Miss North Carolina USA on Oct. 29, in High Point, N.C.