Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mary Margaret Hyer, a Hattiesburg native, will reign as Miss Mississippi for a second year.
The annual competition, usually held in June, has been canceled due to safety concerns, and Hyer said extending her term was “one of the easiest decisions that I have ever made.”
She postponed attending law school at the University of Mississippi to continue in her duties as Miss Mississippi.
“I decided to defer law school for another year so that I could continue to serve full-time in this role,” said Hyer. “That’s the way I think this role should be done so that you can be a servant to the state of Mississippi. Law school will always be there; this was a once in a lifetime opportunity that I couldn’t pass up.”
Hyer will be the first Miss Mississippi to reign for two consecutive years.
According to the Miss America Organization, which governs the state pageant, every contestant that won a local title for the Miss Mississippi 2020 pageant year will be qualified to compete next year.
Candidates that were aging out of the competition have been granted an additional year of eligibility.
Hyer added that she is grateful for the extra year since the pandemic had altered the typical roles of Miss Mississippi.
“I’m happy to sort of have a do-over because, in the first six months of my reign, I was getting ready to go to Miss America. The last two months, I have been in quarantine,” she said. “I have only had a couple of months to truly serve as Miss Mississippi in the way one normally would. I’m excited to have 12 months to do this job and hopefully make a difference in my platform work.”
Hyer said her platform is organizing organ donation.
“Hopefully, we can get more Mississippians registered as donors,” she said.
As of now, Hyer is performing many of her duties virtually, including Zoom appearances.
“I will continue to do virtual engagements until it is safe for me to be out and about in public,” she said.
The 2021 pageant is scheduled for June 23-26 in Vicksburg.
