PR2004 Jan U1

FORMER SHELTON STATE STUDENT SELECTED AS “MISS TUSCALOOSA”

 Jan 2004

     Allison Wilkes, a former student at Shelton State Community College, was selected as “Miss Tuscaloosa” in the local pageant held at the Bama Theatre on Saturday, January 24.

     From a field of nine contestants, Wilkes was chosen to represent the community in the state-wide contest to be held at Samford University in Birmingham June 9-12.  The winner in that competition will go on to represent Alabama in the “Miss America” pageant in Atlantic City in the fall.

     Wilkes performed the song “Man of La Mancha” during the talent portion of the contest.  Her community service platform was “Arts in Education in K-12.”  She hopes to perform the same musical number in the state competition but because pageant rules prohibit two contestants performing the same selection, she won’t know for a few months if her “bid” is accepted.

Allison is currently a junior at the University of Alabama with a double major in theatre and public relations.  “I guess I’m actually in year four of a five year plan,” she said laughingly.  “College has really been more a voyage of discovery for me than a four-year, get a degree mission.”

Wilkes, who was active in both the music and theatre departments at Shelton State, was a member of the “Shelton Singers” and the “Bach to Rock” ensemble.  In the theatre department she starred in “The Fantasticks” and in “State Fair” for Theatre Tuscaloosa.

"Allison has wonderful musical instincts and an innate understanding of how to communicate with an audience, so coaching her was great fun for me!" said Glinda Blackshear, her voice teacher while at Shelton State.

In addition to her new title as “Miss Tuscaloosa,” Wilkes also placed second in the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) competition in February.

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