Three Havreites in Miss Montana

Last year Lauren Scofield of Havre was crowned Miss Montana and competed in the Miss America Pageant, and with three contestants in this year's contest also from Havre, there is a decent chance her successor will, too.

Hannah Pepprock, Madison Tommerup and Alara Vogel all from Havre, are among 11 women throughout the Treasure State competing in the 2017 Miss Montana Scholarship Program Pageant.

The Miss Montana pageant website says the pageant is the preliminary to the Miss America competition.

Contestants will travel to Glendive June 11, where they will spend four days preparing for the finals and rehearsing, before taking part in the pageant.

The website says the winner will be determined by the number of points they get from several different areas including a talent performance, private interview, how they answer questions on stage, an evening gown competition and a swimwear competition.

More than $300,000 in scholarship money will be available, a press release from the Miss Montana Pageant says. All contestants will receive an $850 scholarship. Contestants who win in different categories will be eligible for additional scholarships and the winner of the pageant will receive $5,000.

The release says people can influence who gets to the finals, when they pay $1 to vote online at http://www.missmontana.com. The person who gets the most votes will advance to the semifinals and get a cash scholarship based on the money raised.

Hannah Pepprock

Pepprock is a newcomer to the world of pageantry. She said she was persuaded to compete for the crown by fellow Miss Montana contender Alara Vogel, a high school friend who is also a sorority sister.  

"She kind of talked to me a lot about it and convinced me to do it," Pepprock said. "I've never done anything like it before I've never been in pageants before, so I thought it would be a really interesting experience."

Although they were a little surprised by her decision to take part in the pageant, Pepprock said, her family and friends have been supportive of her and excited to see how things turn out.

Pepprock, 20, was raised in Shelby but during her sophomore year of high school moved to Havre with her mother.

Pepprock is a junior at the University of Montana where she studies archeological and forensic anthropology.

In addition to her studies, Pepprock also works in the university admissions office and the daycare of the First Presbyterian Church in Missoula. Pepprock is a member of the Delta Gamma sorority where she is vice president of social standards. She also established UM Mental Health Allies, a campus organization of which she is president that focuses on mental health issues.

"I'm pretty passionate about raising awareness for mental health issues and erasing the stigma that surrounds them," she said.  

Suicide prevention is Pepprock's platform which she will champion if she becomes Miss Montana. Pepprock said that in small communities, especially in Montana, suicide is a very stigmatized issue.

In the talent portion of the pageant, Pepprock will play an original piano composition.

Madison Tommerup

The Miss Montana pageant is not something Tommerup expected to compete in, she said, until she decided to do so after Christmas of last year.

Tommerup, 18, graduated last month from Havre High, where she  played on the basketball, softball and volleyball teams. She says she is close to her family with whom she loves to fish, camp and travel. Tommerup also works at McDonald's.

A teacher encouraged Tommerup to take part in pageants.

"She told me pageants were going to come be my thing because I was outgoing, and I could sing as my talent and all that good stuff," Tommerup said. "So she really got me into it.

"I am really excited to do something that is out of my comfort zone," she added.

Tommerup said though she is not "the girly pageant type" many of her family and friends were not all that surprised about her entry into the contest.

"They said they figured I would be doing something like this, and they said they could see me going a long way with this. So they are pretty excited," she said.

Tommerup plans to attend Montana State University-Northern and major in criminal justice and then after she graduates attend law school at the University of Missoula.

For the talent portion of the pageant, Tommerup said she will sing.

As her platform, she wants to raise awareness about child abuse and neglect. If she becomes Miss Montana, she would also want to bring attention to the backpack program.

The program provides food and other items to children who can't afford them. Tommerup said she learned about the program at Lincoln-McKinley Primary School where her mother is a teacher.

Tommerup said when Scofield first heard she was interested in competing to be Miss Montana, Scofield reached out to her to give her more details about it

Given that she has never competed in a pagent before, Tommerop said she is really nervous.

Alara Vogel

Unlike Pepprock and Tommerup, Vogel is a veteran of the Miss Montana competition, having unsuccessfully competed last year for the title. She said she hopes to win it this year.

Vogel, 18, entered the contest last year after high school to see what it was like and said she loved it. Vogel said she knew right after last year's competition that she would make another try for the crown this year.

"It was so much fun and I made a ton of friends and it was such a positive experience, I wanted to do it again," she said.

Last year, she was not one of the final five contestants but did receive the $850 scholarship all contestants receive and a scholarship in the category of director's choice.

Vogel just finished her freshman year at the University of Montana where she is a pre-pharmacy student. She is in the process of earning her certification in pharmacy tech. Vogel is also a member of the Delta Gamma Sorority, which she and fellow Miss Montana contestant Hannah Pepprock are members.

Back home for the summer, Vogel is in charge of swim lessons at the Havre City Pool, where she used to work with Scofield when she lived in Havre.

Vogel's platform is called Loving Your Authentic Self: Promoting Positive Body Image in Today's Youth. If crowned Miss Montana, Vogel said,

she hopes to go to schools and talk about the importance of young people loving themselves for who they are and not trying to be anybody else.

For the talent portion of the pageant, Vogel said she will perform the Alessia Cara song "Scars to Your Beautiful."

As the date of the pageant nears, Vogel said she is somewhat nervous.

"So they are good nerves, but yes I am nervous," she said.