ROANOKE, Va. – This weekend, a new Miss Virginia will be crowned at the 90th annual Miss Virginia pageant competition and will go on to represent Virginia in the Miss America pageant. As the Commonwealth prepares to welcome its next queen, Miss Virginia 2024, Carlehr Swanson, reflects on a reign defined by passion, persistence, and purpose.
The Roanoke resident, originally from Richmond, says since being crowned, she’s visited more than 70 schools to uplift students through mentorship, music, and storytelling.
“We talk about leadership skills, goal setting, the importance of having a dream and thinking about what actionable steps do I need to accomplish that dream.”
But it wasn’t just classrooms. Her platform, “Music is Unity,” touched lives in hospitals and homes across the state.
“I saw doctors, nurses, patients, and residents — they all stopped for a moment, and they sang along with me.”
For many, especially young girls of color, she was more than Miss Virginia. She was a mirror of possibility.
“A girl came up to me, she had drawn a picture and it was me and her, and she said we look alike we’re twins. And so that was a really touching moment to know that my story wasn’t in vain, this perseverance, being able to go to schools and show that if I can do this, you can do this too.”
Swanson says she competed six times over a ten-year span before winning the crown, and says her message to others has always centered on resilience.
“The Miss Virginia opportunity gave me a voice. And it’s been so important to me to help students dream as I did. This 10-year journey has been difficult. It’s been many no’s. Many times where I questioned myself. So, I find it a great honor that when I go into schools, I’m able to inspire students to not give up.”
As she prepares to pass the crown, Swanson says she’s not stepping away from service. She plans to continue using music as a tool for mentorship. And for the women preparing to compete this weekend, she offers one heartfelt piece of advice:
“Be yourself. I think in pageants it’s really easy to fall into a trap of, I need to use my pageant voice or I need the pageant hair or you see someone who looks very confident, and you try to emulate them. But when I think about me having this low voice, being afraid to speak up, being a little shy, I think those have been the things that have connected with others this year. Me being who I authentically am.”
The Miss Virginia 2025 pageant takes place in Roanoke at the Berglund Center from June 26-28.
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