The Miss America Scholarship Pageant is this Sunday, September 11th. Before you tune in to watch the competition, get to know a little more about Savvy Shields, your 2016 Miss Arkansas!
Photo by Kattie Hansen
Savvy was born and raised in Fayetteville, Arkansas. She attends the University of Arkansas, where she is studying art and involved in Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority. Her passion for pageants began at the age of thirteen and she has been stealing the hearts of judges and audiences ever since.
Savvy’s platform as Miss America is “Eat Better, Live Better.” She enjoys sharing the benefits of clean eating with children and adults across the state – creating opportunites for happier and healthier lives of all Arkansans. Check out the #EatBetterLiveBetter tag she has started on her Instagram!
Photo by Ben Fogletto
Savvy began dancing early in life, and immediately fell in love with the creative world it provided. She tells us her experience with the art world is what taught her an important lesson: “as long as you listen, people are willing to listen to you as well”. It was dancing – the idea that she could dance in front of people and entertain – that started her pageant career. During Savvy’s teenage years, pageants quickly became a way for her to find her own worth and self-confidence. Here we are eight years later, and your Miss Arkansas just won the talent portion of the preliminary competition with her dance to “Just Keep Moving the Line” from the NBC musical series Smash (watch Savvy’s winning talent number here!).
The advice she offers others is, “to just be authentically you. We live in a social media world where we see everyone else’s highlight reel. We miss a lot of the backstage of what’s really going on in people’s lives.”
Don’t miss your Miss Arkansas as she competes for the title of Miss America this Sunday on ABC at 8:00 p.m. Follow her preparations and backstage moments on her Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
We are cheering for you, Savvy!
