Miss South Carolina

By Reilly Blackwelder

A School of Journalism and Mass Communications student is the reigning Miss South Carolina and preparing to compete in the Miss USA pageant.

Courtney Turner is a junior mass communications major who enjoys outdoor activities and being involved with Alpha Delta Pi sorority. No, she doesn’t wear her crown everywhere, but her personality and smile let you know that she has all the qualities of a winner.

Turner says competing in the Miss South Carolina pageant was a dream of hers since she was a girl, so winning that title and earning a spot to compete in Miss USA was more than she could imagine. She says the reality surprises her at times. “I’ll just be driving down the road and say to myself, ‘Oh my gosh! You are competing for Miss USA!’ It’s surreal.”

She could be easily distracted by the pageant world, but she says her faith and family keep her grounded.
Turner says if she wins Miss USA, she will use her title to promote awareness of human trafficking, because, she says, it is a major societal issue.

Working toward her degree from the J-school has given her a significant advantage in the world of pageants. “Being a mass communications major has definitely helped me in this industry because it's a business where you have to be able to communicate well with people and not be afraid to speak in front of anyone. But honestly, I felt more terrified to speak in my Speech 101 class than on stage in front of hundreds of people,” Turner says.

Turner’s turn in the national spotlight comes this summer when the Miss USA pageant will be televised on NBC July 19 at 9 p.m. ET.