Everyone has potential, and everyone has the power to turn that potential into something great. This is what Asja Jordan told the audience at the 68th annual Miss ULM pageant before she was crowned Miss ULM.

Jordan was crowned by Allison Newton, who won the title in 2019 and held the position for two years because of the pandemic. 

Newton, who has graduated and is leaving Louisiana to pursue a performance career, said that the goodbye is bittersweet.

“It’s been an honor, and my favorite chapter,” Newton said 

Meagan Lee, the director of Miss ULM, said it was an honor getting to work with Newton for the past two years and she couldn’t have asked for anything more from a title holder.

“You have made this university and me very proud,” Lee said to Newton.

Newton then passed the crown on to Jordan.

This was Jordan’s second time competing for the crown, her first time being in 2019. She said she decided to compete because she loves ULM and she loves being involved.

Jordan said this competition was the perfect opportunity to take advantage of her last year here at ULM. 

Each of the 13 contestants presented a social impact initiative, which is a cause that they care about and want to educate the community on.

Jordan’s initiative is Potential 2 Kinetic, which is a fitness business she created. She teaches yoga and is a personal trainer with the goal of helping people grow through physical and mental health practices.

“I’m very passionate about the things I do with physical and mental health and community work,” Jordan said.

Jana Cox, one of the judges, said that the judges were looking for a well-rounded girl. She said that being Miss ULM is a tough job and it’s not just about beauty and poise—It’s about being a hostess and representing the university well.

The contestants had individual interviews with the panel of judges before the competition. Cox said that Jordan’s interview with the judges was what really made her stand out.

“She’s a very impressive young woman,” Cox said. “She had confidence and poise.” 

However, Cox said that all the contestants were so outstanding that she had no idea who was going to win.

“Every young woman up there was incredibly impressive,” Cox said. “They were all so smart and accomplished.”

The title of Miss ULM comes with a $2,000 scholarship for two semesters awarded by CAB and a $4,500 cash prize awarded by SGA. Jordan will also receive a one-bedroom apartment on campus during her year of service along with a $300 bookstore award.

The prize for the first runner-up is a $2,000 scholarship for two semesters awarded by CAB, which went to junior vocal performance major Leslie Hobgood.

Hobgood said her experience competing in the Miss ULM pageant made her a much more confident person and she never dreamed that she’d place first runner-up.

“I decided to compete to get out of my comfort zone,” Hobgood said. “I truly just wanted to experience something new.”

Third runner-up Kennedy Boston-Woods shared in Hobgood’s experience and said she gained a lot of confidence through this pageant. She said she always gets nervous before pageants but her experience at Miss ULM taught her to trust in herself and “just go for it.”

Jordan said now that she’s been crowned, she’s ready to get to work, promote her social impact initiative and create connections with students and community members.

“I’m very honored and grateful to serve as Miss ULM for 2022 and I’m going to represent very proudly.”