MARTINSBURG — What led Miss West Virginia 2024 Jennifer Reuther to begin competing in pageants at age 19, much later than many of her peers, was the need for potential scholarship funds.
What kept her competing was the sisterhood she found along the way.
Even as she prepares to complete her reign, Reuther said she the friendships she has developed will last a lifetime.
She shared this week that even though she doesn’t see many of the girls, except at competition time, when they get together, it is like they were never apart.
The Charleston resident reflected on the past year, speaking of the excitement, the opportunities and the busy days she faced as she traveled over 30,000 miles for just shy of 200 public appearances. It was not solely Miss West Virginia duties that kept her busy, as Reuther worked a full-time job as a certified pediatric physician assistant, with four 10-hour days each week.
“I had one day off on Christmas,” Reuther laughed, adding that the day after that, she traveled to Miss America, which was held over New Year’s in Florida. “I hit 42 of the 55 counties in West Virginia.
“I wanted to reach out there to small, rural counties who haven’t ever seen a Miss West Virginia” Reuther said. “I wanted to go to those ‘middle of nowhere schools’ with 20 kids in the whole school.”
She went on to add that those rural communities were so thankful that she took the time to come there, and through her visits, she said, she encouraged those students to believe that they, too, could do what she did and become a winner.
She has encouraged everyone wherever she has visited to not count themselves out.
“You don’t have to fit a specific description to be Miss West Virginia,” she said, adding that she is a Type 1 diabetic, who has an insulin pump on 24/7. “I don’t fit the stereotype of being thin or blonde. I’m a full-time medical practitioner. You can do it—you can have it all.”
Even though her year has been packed with so much happening, Reuther said she will miss it once she pins the crown on Miss West Virginia 2025. She has a lifetime of memories to take with her, including the participation in Miss America, which she said was the most exciting thing.
“It was everything I imagined,” she said, adding that she had no expectations of winning, so she went in without a lot of nerves or doubts. “I had fun as myself. In my mind, I had already been a big winner as Miss West Virginia.”
There are so many things Reuther is taking away from her year as Miss West Virginia that it was difficult to settle on what she found most valuable or what she would miss the most. She did explain that because of the pageants and her role as Miss West Virginia, she has honed her public speaking skills which has been a huge confidence builder for her.
She developed lifelong friendships and shared her community service initiative, Wellness Across West Virginia. Because of her diabetes, she has made health and wellness a focus of her life and spent the past year sharing that passion throughout the state.
“It was very busy and I’m exhausted and ready for someone else to experience this, but it was the best year,” she said. “Even if I hadn’t won, I got so much more than a crown and a sash.”
