Miss Colorado to attend Vail America Days parade
Savannah Cavanaugh of Edwards will compete in the 101st Miss America competition in December
Keep your eyes peeled for Miss Colorado at this year’s Vail America Days parade. Miss Savannah Cavanaugh just won the crown at the Pace Center in Parker, Colorado in June. The 25-year-old has been living in Edwards and works remotely in strategy for Dell Technologies and started competing in the Miss Colorado competitions when she was 22.
“Growing up, I loved watching “Miss America.” I always admired every young woman competing. My senior year of undergraduate school, I was watching Miss America and told myself I was finally going to compete for Miss Colorado,” Cavanaugh said.
“It was completely out of my comfort zone and nothing like I had ever done before. I fell in love with the Miss Colorado Organization and the women who competed in it. The women who compete currently and have competed in the past are such great role models for the state of Colorado.”
The Miss Colorado competition is made up of four different categories with the top five candidates advancing to the Final Conversation/Final Ballot:
- Private Interview
- Red Carpet
- Onstage Interview/Social Impact Pitch
- Talent
“During the Private Interview the judges have 10 minutes where they can ask you anything. This can include questions about your career aspirations and why you should be Miss Colorado to thoughts on world news and current events. The Social Impact Pitch is a quick on-stage pitch where you share your initiatives’ importance and your plan as Miss Colorado to support your initiative,” Cavanaugh said.
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“I have become a more well-rounded woman and I am definitely better at interviewing. Being involved in the Miss America Organization pushes all women to be the best version of themselves,” Cavanaugh said.
Cavanaugh was already a driven person, starting in high school where she was an All-State and State Champion soccer player in Texas. She was also in varsity choir and sang “Yesterday” by The Beatles for the talent portion of the Miss Colorado competition.
She attended The University of Texas at Austin for undergrad and majored in Finance in the McCombs School of Business. She was a member of the Tri Delta sorority and involved in various service organizations including volunteering for The Rosedale School, St. Jude and the Texas Cowboys organization.
Cavanaugh went on to receive her Master’s in Business Administration from Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management. At Vanderbilt, she held various leadership positions such as Student Government Senator, director of finance for the Owen Marketing Association and secretary for the Owen Christian Business Association.
Her ties to Colorado date back to her grandparents and great-grandparents who lived in Creede, Colorado. Her parents moved to Colorado while she was in undergraduate school.
“I am an extremely active person and love to be outside. I love to ski and haven’t missed an Opening Day at Beaver Creek in five years. One of my favorite things to do is walk to all the amazing restaurants in Edwards and Avon. Working remotely has given me the flexibility to live in the mountains and enjoy all of its beauty,” Cavanaugh said.
Cavanaugh’s active lifestyle lends itself to her social impact initiative: “Healthy Lungs, Healthy Life” and her work with the American Lung Association.
“Every 3.3 minutes in the United States, someone passes away due to lung cancer. Tobacco use remains the single largest most preventable cause of death and disease in the United States,” Cavanaugh said. “I lost my grandfather when I was just 4 years old to stage 4 lung cancer. It is my wish that no person, or family, ever has to deal with the pain and suffering that comes from such a preventable disease.”
Cavanaugh will spend the next year as Miss Colorado promoting her work with the American Lung Association through social media campaigns, school and community education, and government and business involvement. In addition to promoting her platform, she looks forward to attending community events, making appearances and getting more involved with organizations across the state that support women in business.
Cavanaugh also has her eye set on competing in the 101st Miss America competition in December in Uncasville, Connecticut.
“I am so excited to be surrounded with such brilliant and talented women from all across America. Every woman competing has a unique story with different goals and aspirations and it’s inspiring to see how we all can support each other throughout our life’s journeys. It is definitely an ‘iron sharpens iron’ environment,” Cavanaugh said.
Cavanaugh says the competition has evolved so much from its earlier days of being more of a beauty pageant.
“Miss America doesn’t judge on outward appearance anymore, but inner beauty continues to be the most important job requirement. Miss America candidates are so impressive. They are making differences in their states and communities, while being role models for young girls,” Cavanaugh said.
Cavanaugh is soaking all of this in as she knows this opportunity to compete at this level is very rare.
“There’s a well-known saying within the Miss America circles that states ‘A parent is more likely to have a son compete at the super bowl than a daughter compete at Miss America,’ so I feel very fortunate.”
Look for Cavanaugh at this year’s Vail America Days parade as she plans to ride in a convertible in Monday’s parade route from Golden Peak to Lionshead Village. The parade starts at 10 a.m. To follow the new Miss Colorado go to MissColorado.com and check out Cavanaugh’s Facebook and Instagram accounts.