Brooke Bumgarner, a junior public policy leadership and integrated marketing communications double major from Madison, Miss., won the 78th Miss University pageant on Oct. 11, but this year’s pageant is far from her first.
After trying several sports and extracurricular activities during her youth, Bumgarner started her pageant career at 15 years old.
“I entered my first local preliminary competition for Miss Mississippi’s Teen when I was 15 years old,” Bumgarner said. “It was a result of trying things like soccer and ballet and gymnastics and realizing that none of those were my strength.”
Bumgarner quickly realized that pageants allowed her to do what she loves most: perform and connect with people.
“I just saw (pageants) as an opportunity to (perform) and … be on stage, sing in the talent competition and connect with others through speaking in the on-screen questions and the interview process,” Bumgarner said.
For Bumgarner, competing for Miss University means representing the Ole Miss community and setting an example for underclassmen.
“I wanted to represent Ole Miss as an upperclassman once I had experienced Ole Miss as a student for a couple of years,” Bumgarner said. “I think understanding Ole Miss is a huge part of Miss University, and I spent my freshman year seeking ways to better understand the place I love so much.”
During the Miss University pageant talent portion, Bumgarner sang “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong.
“The purpose of that song was to just remind people of hope. I think today a lot of people need that, and I … wanted to use that song as a way to communicate a sense of light in a world that is kind of divided,” Bumgarner said.
Along with the talent portion, each contestant also had an opportunity to speak about her community service initiative (CSI). The daughter of a public school teacher, Bumgarner was inspired to help younger students. Her CSI, Foundation of Future Leaders, focuses on aiding students to be future leaders.
“My community service initiative is called the Foundation of Future Leaders, and it’s a student-centered initiative that focuses on building our future leaders through character development workshops and presentations in classrooms,” Bumgarner said. “I’ve spoken to about 10,000 Mississippi students, which has been such an honor.”
Despite her commitment to helping fellow students and community members, Bumgarner recognized the negative association some have with pageants.
“Something that I really do pride the Miss America organization on is the fact that we are the leading scholarship provider for women,” Bumgarner said. “I think a lot of people have a stigma about pageantry that isn’t true, and honestly, my undergraduate tuition is paid because of this organization.”
According to the Miss America Foundation, the organization makes over $5 million in cash scholarships available each year across local, state and national competitions.
Bumgarner hopes to accomplish many more acts of service as the university’s 78th Miss University, with an emphasis on connecting students and giving incoming freshmen a sense of belonging.
During her time as Miss University, Bumgarner plans to deliver at least 25 character development workshops to the Oxford-Lafayette community, partner with student organizations to increase involvement on campus, create an alumni network for past Miss University winners and raise money to fund local classrooms.
Being a leader comes with its own plethora of responsibilities and challenges. Bumgarner is involved in several organizations on campus, including Chi Omega, the Columns Society and Ole Miss Ambassadors. On top of being Miss University, Bumgarner was recently elected junior maid in the 2026 Homecoming Elections.
“Just by nature, I am a very Type B person, but competing in the Miss America organization has shown me that I need to have Type A tendencies in place to keep my head on straight,” Bumgarner said. “For example, my Google Calendar looks like a bag of Skittles because it’s just all over the place.”
Her pageant experience and drive to serve the Oxford community have given Bumgarner the tools to be a leader. In the Miss University interview, a behind-the-scenes category where contestants are privately interviewed, Bumgarner was able to connect with judges on a personal level.
“The Miss University interview was about 10 minutes long, and that was just 10 minutes to communicate my heart, but not just about who I am as a person, but ultimately, my love for Ole Miss and all it’s given me, and the ways that I hope to give back to it through this role,” Bumgarner said.
