Briana Jewett, an exercise and sports science major from Atlanta, holds the title of Miss University of Georgia. The Red & Black caught up with her to see what it takes to be a beauty queen.

What does Miss UGA do?
My main duty was competing in Miss Georgia, and that was just held between January and June, and I got first runner up.
I was one woman away from Miss America. Since then my schedule has really been full of making appearances, giving speeches and all that.
Soon, I’ll have a lot of athletic appearances.

What was the Miss Georgia Competition like?
It was great. It was my second year returning to Miss Georgia. I had a little bit of experience under my belt. We’re down there for a week in Columbus. It was just a bunch of girls bonding. It’s a mini vacation, they call it.
I don’t know if I’d call it that, though, with the amount of work we have to do.

What kind of work?
Well, there were a bunch of different sponsors, like restaurants, so we had to go eat with the restaurant owners. We had an arcade sponsor, so we got to spend time there. Really, just rehearsing for the show, that’s a big chunk of our day.

Recent polls have shown a fifth of Americans can’t locate the U.S. on a world map. Why do you think this is?
Is that Caitlin Upton, [Miss South Carolina Teen USA]? I try to stay away from that one. We try and run away from the whole “pageant girl” mold. I don’t know if I have a really good answer to that question, anyway.

What do you think about the stigma surrounding these pageants?
We really just have to face that there is that mold. Pageant judges are looking for a lot more than just beauty, they’re looking for that “it girl,” the girl who does it all.
They want real people, it’s not about the way you look anymore.

Isn’t having a bikini portion of the pageant counterproductive to that goal?
You really have to look at it as a physical fitness competition. You’re not judging the size of their boobs, you’re looking at if they are in good shape and comfortable in their own skin.
It’s not so much about sex appeal as it is physical fitness. We’ve heard tons of stuff from women’s organizations, especially here at the University, against it, but we really try to emphasize it’s fitness and how you feel in your own skin.

What is PEACE OUTside campus?
PEACE OUTside campus, that’s my personal platform I adopted. It’s all about campus safety and just really getting the word out about safety on campus and being aware. It’s definitely geared toward real college kids. I’m not sugar coating anything.
When I give speeches, it’s not the typical graduation lecture you get from your parents. I’ve gotten great responses.

Why did you make this your platform?
A good friend of mine had a relative who was brutally murdered in 2005, and I saw how that affected her friends and family. I experienced it through my girlfriend Bianca, I just saw the impact it took on her and her family, and I try to keep on the legacy.