Andrea Hightower, 18 of Oxford, is competing in the Miss World America pageant at the Cherry Blossom Ballroom in Washington D.C. at 5:00 p.m.
Forty-eight contestants will compete in the finals after a week of fashion shows, fitness competitions and dances.
Hightower is an ambassador of National Association of Mental Illnesses (NAMI), which is based in Jackson, Mississippi. She was also Miss Mississippi USA 2015.
Andrea Hightower explains her “Beauty with a Purpose” platform on raising awareness of mental illnesses.
Minnie Hightower, Hightower’s mother, said she is proud of the young woman her daughter has become.
“I’m proud of her as a young woman, not so much my daughter,” Minnie said. “I love her to death no matter what she does, but as a young woman in Mississippi, I’m so proud of what she’s doing to instill values and dedication and community service to other young people in the state.”
Watch the pageant live on missworldamerica.com.
Stay tuned with HottyToddy.com as we release the pageant results and more on Oxford’s own Andrea Hightower next week.
Randall Haley is the social media editor and a staff writer for HottyToddy.com. She can be reached at randall.haley@hottytoddy.com
