Miss Georgia leaves to take part in 100th Miss America competition
(Miss Georgia Scholarship Competition)
AUGUSTA, Ga. - The 2021 Miss Georgia is on her way to Connecticut to compete in the Miss America competition over the weekend.
Karson Pennington boarded a plane Wednesday to represent Georgia at the competition, which will be held at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville.
The Augusta native graduated from the University of Georgia with three degrees: a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Bachelor of Arts in History, and a Master of Arts in Political Science & International Affairs. She is currently a second-year doctoral student and works as a teaching assistant in Political Science and International Affairs.
Pennington, who was diagnosed with a stutter at the age of 3, was encouraged by her pediatrician to read out loud to become confident speaking. Since learning to read, she's become a strong advocate for literacy and created an initiative known as ROAR: Reach Out and Read to encourage parents to read aloud to children.
"Karson is such a wonderful representative of Georgia. She is incredibly smart, talented, hardworking, selfless, and beautiful," The Miss Georgia Scholarship Organization’s CEO and Executive Director Trina Pruitt said in a statement. "We are so excited for her to be able to represent Georgia, and to be able to compete in such a significant Miss America competition as it is the 100th anniversary."
Pennington will be competing for a scholarship of $100,000.
She has been participating in the Miss America Scholarship Organization since she was 10 years old. Her talent will be tap dancing.