Although the outcome of the Miss America Competition may not have been exactly what Miss Mississippi Emmie Perkins had hoped for, she still came out as a winner.

Perkins walked away with more than $10,000 in scholarships, an experience of a lifetime and the opportunity to continue to serve her state.

“I gained a lot more aside from not making the top (11),” Perkins said. “I had an incredible time and I walked away with $13,000 in scholarship, which was amazing.”

A portion of the winnings – $10,000 – was due to Perkins being named the overall winner of the Social Impact award.

Since 2019, Perkins began promoting “Music is Medicine,” which has since grown to her working with hospitals, nursing homes and schools, while also partnering with additional organizations.

Perkins is the first Miss Mississippi to receive this award.

“When I heard my name called, I was in complete shock, and to walk away with an extra scholarship that acknowledged my platform ‘Music is Medicine’ meant the entire world to me because that’s really the heart of what I do. So, to have national recognition was amazing,” she said.

In addition to winning scholarship money, another bonus Perkins said she experienced while at the Miss America Competition was the relationships she made throughout the week with other candidates.

“They (the relationships) were unforgettable. People say it’s ‘the best week of your life,’ and it’s true. You build a bond like nothing I could even describe until you experience it yourself,” Perkins said. “I loved being with the other women and I met so many great friends, and it’s insane to think I have a friend in all 50 states now.”

Although she did not win the title, Perkins said the highlight of the competition was knowing she did her best.

“You can only control yourself, not the outcome of the situation, and I felt like every single time I spoke and every time I performed on the Miss America stage, I did everything to the best of my abilities. There is not a single thing that I would change about how I prepared or who I was during every phase of the competition,” she said. “I truly felt at peace. I almost think it was a supernatural thing because I had the best performance, the best interview and the best on-stage questions of my entire life and nothing can take that away,” including not being chosen as one of the top 10 candidates in the Miss America Competition.

In returning home, Perkins said, she is excited about being back in Mississippi and has already begun resuming where she left off in serving the state.

“I am exactly where I need to be for a reason. I’ve got a lot of work to do, and I needed a little bit more time to get it done,” Perkins said.

As Miss Mississippi, Perkins set a goal to visit a school in all 82 counties in the state.

“I’m excited to come home and accomplish goals I had set up in Mississippi,” she said.