Since the age of four, the reigning Miss Missouri has been dreaming of walking along the Miss America stage. That dream will soon become a reality for 20-year-old Ashley Berry.
The native of western Missouri’s Clinton will wear the crown proudly and compete later this year in the Miss America competition.
“I just can’t believe that it’s finally coming to a reality for me. It still doesn’t feel real,” she told Missourinet.
Berry knows her way around this competition.
“I have been competing in the Miss America organization for about nine years,” she said. “I started in the Little Princess Show Me Star mentorship program. I started competing in the teen organization when I was 13. I was actually Missouri’s Teen in 2021.”
The Miss America organization is the largest provider of scholarships to young women in the United States. According to Berry, she will graduate from college debt-free due to a full-ride scholarship from the organization. She is a junior at the University of Alabama.
Berry credits the competition for helping her with public speaking.
“We compete in a personal interview where we’re taught to go into a room with a panel of judges,” Berry said. “That can look really intimidating, but to be able to speak confidently and eloquently is a skill that we really do pride ourselves in. You’re able to answer a question on stage. You’re able to really hone in on your public speaking skills, which can definitely help us later in life.”
Her public speaking skills will also serve her well, since her aspirations are to be a political correspondent and news writer. Her Miss Missouri community service initiative is to be “media smart.” As a journalism student, she advocates for media literacy education.
She enjoys the “sisterhood” found in the competition.
“It teaches us to be competitive, which I think can be a great thing for us to learn in life. It also gives you lifelong friendships,” said Berry. “I know that some of these girls that I have met and have competed with will be my bridesmaids someday.”
Berry said Miss Missouri has a duty to be of service to the state.
“I want to set a good example for young girls to follow and I want to show them that you can truly be anything you want to be as long as you put your mind to it,” she said.
Berry is the daughter of Mark and Amy Berry.
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