Miss Mississippi: Grandmother’s prediction comes true
VICKSBURG — Turns out, the third time is a charm. And a grandmother's prediction doesn't hurt either.
Mary Margaret Hyer of Hattiesburg, a University of Mississippi graduate who was crowned Miss Mississippi Saturday, June 22 at the pageant in Vicksburg, said her late grandmother told her she would end up wearing the crown.
The two were in the audience at the 2014 Miss Mississippi Pageant.
It was one of the last times Hyer would spend with her grandmother before she died later that year.
"She said you're going to walk across that stage someday and I never thought that would ever happen. I didn't think I had the confidence or the ability to speak in front of an audience, none of those things, but she believed in me," Hyer said.
Sure enough, Hyer was named the winner and crowned by 2018 Miss Mississippi Asya Branch; 44 others also competed in the event that began with preliminary competitions in Vicksburg. It was Hyer's third time competing in the pageant. This year, she competed as Miss Riverbend and it marked her first time to reach the finals. Previously, she competed as Miss Southern Magnolia in 2017 and again as Miss Southern Grace in 2018.
Less than 12 hours from the crowning, Hyer said she was still reeling from the excitement.
"I haven't gotten any sleep and really I'm afraid if I did, I wouldn't know if this was a dream or not. So, I'm still excited and proud of the work that was put in," she said.
Organ donation hits close to home
Hyer credits her mother and grandmother as the inspiration for her choice of organ donation as her social initiative. It's a topic that she will keep front and center during her reign.
In 2012, Hyer's mother, Margaret Mccollum Hyer, donated her kidney to her own mother, Bobbie Mccollum.
Mccollum died of cancer in 2014, but with "a perfectly good kidney," Hyer said.
Since then, Hyer has worked with organ and tissue donation organizations, including MORA, an organ procurement organization based in Flowood.
Broken foot doesn't stop her
On Memorial Day, Hyer planned to take a break from the busy pageant schedule. While attempting to board a boat, she said she got her foot caught up between the boat and the boat dock.
Soon after, the doctor confirmed her fears. It was a broken foot just weeks before the pageant.
"I've never broken a bone before in my life, so it was interesting timing to say the least," she said.
Fortunately, there was enough time to get most of the swelling down, even if one foot is still bigger than the other.
Any lingering pain from the break has been forgotten for now, she said.
"It was in a boot, I kept it elevated and I was a good patient. Just a lot of ice and Ibuprofren."
Law school, staying in Mississippi
Hyer said she's proud to represent the state of Mississippi. Although she grew up in Hattiesburg, she decided to follow three generations of family tradition and go to the University of Mississippi, where she graduated in 2018 with a major in English and a minor in vocal performance.
Her next step is to continue her studies by going to law school. She considered going to school out of state, but ultimately felt Mississippi had the most to offer.
"I recently took a traveling job and my whole focus was trying to figure out where I wanted to go outside of Mississippi for law school. And what I found out is there's nowhere for me except Mississippi," she said.
"It's such a blessing to represent a state I grew up in, was educated in and don't plan on ever leaving."
Hyer will now represent Mississippi in the Miss America Pageant. The date and location of this year's Miss America Pageant is yet to be announced.
Contact Justin Vicory at 769-572-1418 or jvicory@gannett.com. Follow @justinvicory on Twitter.