A queen was crowned at the Miss University of Florida Pageant Monday night.
The pageant, hosted by Florida Blue Key, was held at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, where 12 contestants competed for the crown, a $1,000 scholarship and a spot in the 2012 Miss Florida pageant this summer.
About 600 people watched as Ashlyn Robinson was named Miss UF.
Robinson is a telecommunication and history sophomore from Plant City.
The pageant was funded mainly by advertisers, sponsors and ticket sales. It costs $10,000 to put on annually.
Grace Faulkenberry, Florida Blue Key’s division coordinator, said the pageant is different from other pageants because it is university-based.
“This year, we definitely made an extra effort to reach out through emails, phone calls, text messages to a different variety of on-campus organizations,” Faulkenberry said. “We reached out a little further and were a little more persistent in getting organizations other than the ones who have participated in the past.”
Five judges watched as the candidates competed in an onstage Q&A session, an evening wear portion, a talent competition and a lifestyle and fitness swimsuit portion.
Faulkenberry said Florida Blue Key tried to get judges who have some type of correlation with the university and ties to the pageant world.
The Miss UF pageant also partnered with Dance Marathon and the Children’s Miracle Network to welcome a Miracle Child to the stage.
After an announcer told her story of overcoming disease, 10-year-old Cat Chennel gracefully walked across the stage in her platform heels and waved to the audience like a pageant contestant.
“Because DM plays such a large role on our campus, we didn’t want to leave out that sector,” Faulkenberry said.
Telecommunication and history sophomore Ashlyn Robinson, the 2012 winner of the Miss University of Florida pageant, stands on the stage of the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts after being crowned on Monday night.
