Samantha Hawkins ’14, cultural anthropology and interdisciplinary studies, is competing for the title of Miss Maryland.

Hawkins was named Miss Free State in March, a title that earned her the chance to compete at the Miss Maryland pageant. As the reigning Miss Free State, she will be working in the community on her platform issue of “Building Stronger Communities: Preserving Culture and Appreciating Diversity,” and serving as a goodwill ambassador for the Children’s Miracle Network. A humanities scholar, honors college member, and art history minor, Hawkin’s talent is the piano.

“It seems that with the Miss Maryland Organization the possibilities are truly endless for what you can achieve. There have been wonderful directors and young women leading by example, illustrating the incredible work a titleholder can do if she applies herself,” Hawkins wrote on her Miss Free State blog.

The Miss Maryland pageant will be held June 17-24 at the Maryland Theater in Hagerstown, Maryland. For more information, visit the Miss Maryland website.