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She had to keep telling herself not to cry after she heard the news.
This was when Brittney Whitaker won the Miss OSU pageant last month.
The human nutrition and allied health senior said she was “ecstatic” after she heard her name called.
Her sister, Alina Whitaker, said Brittney did it for fun and never participated in pageants growing up.
“She’s gone about it with an attitude of ‘This will be really fun and I hope I do well, we’ll see what happens,’ ” Alina Whitaker said.
This was Brittney Whitaker’s third year to participate in Miss OSU.
“The first year I did it I was a sophomore, and I was in the basement and I saw the application and I was like ‘Why not?’ ” Brittney Whitaker said. “It doesn’t cost anything to enter and there’s scholarship money if you place.”
Whitaker’s mother, Lana Whitaker, was in the audience at the Miss OSU pageant. She said when she watched the pageant she would feel proud of her daughter no matter what happened.
“My reaction was one of shock and excitement and probably one of, ‘It’s about time,‘ ” Lana Whitaker said. “I’m mom, but I just felt like she definitely was very deserving.”
Brittney Whitaker said the title of Miss OSU holds special meaning to her.
“The title is really meaningful because I’m not ready to leave,” she said. “I don’t want to graduate. I love it here and it’s meant so much that the time and the memories I have here have this added on top. It’s just really incredible.”
Brittney Whitaker said being selected for Miss OSU is an honor.
“OSU is like my home, and so being Miss OSU is like representing a really big family,” she said.
Brittney Whitaker will be representing her “family” at several events, including next year’s Homecoming parade, the 2011 Miss OSU pageant and Miss Oklahoma 2010.
“I’d love to do a lot more,” she said. “But those are the main things I’m required to do and then do some work with my platform.”
Her platform is childhood obesity and is a change from the platform she has taken in past years. The first two years she participated her platform was Save the Music, a foundation that helps bring music back into schools.
“It meant a lot to me, but this year I decided to pick something that kind of fits more with my major,” Brittney Whitaker said. “And I know that when I go to grad school I’m going to specialize in childhood obesity because I find that area really interesting. So I thought it would be cool to make that my platform and it seemed to work.”
Brittney Whitaker said she plans to visit schools and talk to children about nutrition and exercise to build her platform in preparation for the Miss Oklahoma pageant.
“Apparently your platform counts for a lot and a huge part of the interview is how much work you’ve done with your platform,” she said.
Brittney Whitaker said she’s excited for the upcoming Miss Oklahoma pageant.
“I just don’t know what to expect. It’s my first year, and I’ve heard that it’s really busy,” she said.
Despite where the road might take her, Brittney Whitaker will always remain a Cowboy.
“OSU was the only place I applied, it was the only place I came to tour,” Brittney Whitaker said. “I knew I was coming here probably since elementary school. My mom went to OSU, so I’ve been born and bred OSU. It was the only place I ever wanted to be.”
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