U of A Senior Savvy Shields Crowned Miss America

Photo by Bruce V. Boyajian, Miss America Pageant

University of Arkansas senior Savvy Shields is crowned Miss America.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Savvy Janine Shields, an art major at the University of Arkansas, was crowned Miss America 2017 on Sunday in Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall for its 96th anniversary broadcast on the ABC Television Network.

She is the second University of Arkansas student to win the crown. Donna Axum Whitworth won the Miss America Pageant in 1965.

Shields is a native of Fayetteville and the daughter of Todd and Karen Shields. Todd Shields is the dean of the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences.

Her elevation to Miss America means that another University of Arkansas student, Savannah Skidmore, will become Miss Arkansas. Skidmore, a senior journalism major from Calico Rock, was first runner-up in the Miss Arkansas Scholarship Pageant. She is the daughter of Jerry and Kim Skidmore.

Savannah Skidmore, the new Miss Arkansas

The pageant was hosted by Chris Harrison and Sage Steele with celebrity judges Ciara, Mark Cuban, Gabby Douglas, Sara Foster, Laura Marano, Cole Swindell and Miss America 1985 Sharlene Wells Hawkes. The evening included a Sept. 11 tribute in honor of the 15th anniversary of the terrorist attacks in 2001.

Shields' acceptance of the highly coveted crown is just the beginning of a journey that will take her to every corner of the nation and around the world during her year of service as Miss America 2017. She will take a year off from school and embark on a national speaking tour about her platform, Eat Better, Live Better, and act as the official National Goodwill Ambassador for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, a non-profit organization dedicated to saving and improving the lives of children by raising funds for its 170 member hospitals, is the national platform partner of the Miss America Organization.

Along with the coveted title of Miss America 2017, Shields won a $50,000 scholarship provided in part by Joseph Ribkoff Inc. and the Miss America Organization to continue her education. For the talent portion of the competition, Shields performed a jazz dance to "They Just Keep Moving The Line" from the American drama series Smash.

The 52 contestants, who represented all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, participated in preliminary competitions earlier in the week.

Founded in 1921, the Miss America Organization is one of the nation's leading advocates for women's education and the largest provider of scholarship assistance to young women. The Miss America Organization and its 52 state organizations award millions in cash and in-kind scholarships annually. The Miss America Organization also provides young women with a vehicle to further their personal and professional goals and instills within them a spirit of community service through a variety of nationwide community-based programs.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.