Just five days into her reign as the new Miss Mississippi, Hattiesburg’s Mary Margaret Hyer has been busy.
She’s already signed her official contract, made the first of many visits to Batson’s Children Hospital where she crafted with some new friends, received a new car to travel in and had her hair done. She’s also posted the start of her new job as Miss Mississippi as a Life Event on her Facebook page.
Oh yes, she also made history. Hyer, the daughter of Margaret and Jerry Hyer, is the tenth Miss Mississippi from Hattiesburg, which makes Hattiesburg the city with the most Miss Mississippi winners across the state.
“I am so humbled to be the woman who brought the crown back to the Hub City, where it joins several others crowns this year,” Hyer said.
Hattiesburg is also home to Mississippi Outstanding Teen Jane Granberry, a student at Oak Grove High School, who will compete for the national title in Orlando, Fla., during July and 2019 Mississippi's Pre-Teen Serenity Sullivan, who was crowned June 1 and will compete at the national level in Anaheim, Calif. Nov 23-30.
“This is such an accomplishment for Hattiesburg,” Hyer said. “It speaks volumes for the Hub City.”
Hyer explained that after her preliminary talent win last Friday night, she and Jane (who attended the pageant, participating in a variety of events and even helped with the crowning) talked about how incredible it would be for Hattiesburg if Hyer were to win on Saturday. “We were ecstatic when that happened,” Hyer said.
Hyer, 23, who competed as Miss Riverbend, is a graduate of Oak Grove High School and the University of Mississippi, where she received a degree in English. She ultimately plans to attend law school and become a prosecuting attorney. She has worked the past year as a chapter consultant for her fraternity, Phi Mu.
The only preliminary winner in both social impact statement/talent and evening gown, Hyer wowed the judges in a dark blue strapless fitted evening gown with a statement necklace.
She shared the stage with 44 other contestants, including Miss Hattiesburg Macy Mitchell, who finished as second runnerup. In the end there were just two standing on stage, Hyer and Miss Delta Charley Ann Nix.
On Tuesday, Hyer said she was ecstatic that her crowning moment came down to Charley Ann and herself.
“She and I were preliminary title “sister queens” because we shared the same directors, and I wouldn’t have wanted to share my last few moments before I became Miss Mississippi with anyone else,” Hyer said. “We kept saying to each other ‘Ben and Lyeah (our directors) are going crazy right now!’ because regardless of whose name was called as Miss Mississippi, they would be the winning directors.
“Of course, I was hoping that it would be MY name that was called, but I had never imagined that it would be; I had never even made the Top 10 until this year. But after being the only double preliminary award-winning candidate, I had the feeling that it very well could have been my year to represent our state, and, indeed, it was.”
Hyer said the the opportunity to share this moment in her life with those who she loves has been the most exciting part of the past few days.
“When my name was called, my family was so excited that they couldn’t even watch me be crowned because they were celebrating with each other,” Hyer said. Her family has since seen her crowning moment on television.
“And I’ll never forget how it felt for all 44 of my fellow candidates to rush in to hug me after my first walk as Miss Mississippi,” Hyer said. “They are all truly like my sisters.”
“ My phone has been ringing constantly because of the thousands of texts, calls, Facebook messages, and Instagram stories that are full of congratulatory messages from so many people who mean so much to me; it is physically impossible for me to answer them all, but I am seeing them, and they mean the world to me! So thank you to everyone who has reached out.”
And she’s got her boot back on.
Hyer broke her foot less than a month before the state pageant, but did as her doctor instructed to get her back in heels for the pageant. She’s nursing it once again as she prepares for the Miss America Pageant.
Hyer said she began preparations for Miss America the very next day after she was crowned. Although the Miss America Organization has yet to set a date or a location for the national competition, Hyer’s work has already begun. She is in the process of selecting what she will sing for her talent, and began shopping for pieces to add to her Miss America wardrobe this week as she visits several gown shops across the southeastern U.S.
On Friday she will visit Matt Boyd Photography to take her official headshots for Miss America.
“I will continue to keep up with current events and to practice critical thinking in regard to important social issues in our state and nation, in order to prepare for my Miss America interview,” Hyer said. “And, most importantly, I will continue to be “on-the-job” and make appearances across our state as Miss Mississippi, in order to prepare for doing the job of Miss America.”
And during those appearances she will share her social impact initiative, Advocate, Celebrate, Donate: Decreasing the Donor Organ Deficiency. Hyer knows first-hand how important organ donation is after her mother, Margaret, was able to donate a kidney to her grandmother, Bobbie McCollum, in 2012.
“I hope to inspire Mississippians to sign up to be organ donors and give the gift of life to those in need.”
It was Hyer’s grandmother who leaned over to her granddaughter during a Miss Mississippi telecast in 2014 and said, “That will be you one day.” I assured her that it wouldn’t be because I couldn’t see myself ever having the confidence and composure to stand onstage and present myself the way the candidates I watched that night did. But she saw something in me that I couldn’t yet see in myself, and I know she’s looking down from Heaven telling me, “I told you so.”
Although Hyer’s local title of Miss Riverbend originates in the Mississippi Delta, her Miss Mississippi homecoming celebration will take place in early August in Hattiesburg.
“I cannot wait to be back in the Hub City to see everyone who has cheered me on throughout my three-year journey of becoming Miss Mississippi,” Hyer said.
Later in the year, when the next Miss Riverbend is crowned, Hyer will serve as emcee for the competition (where the next Miss Greenville, Miss Delta, and Miss Delta Crossroads will also be crowned). There will also be an autograph party as Miss Mississippi the same weekend, so Hyer can also return “home” to the place where this year began for her.
