Singing the National Anthem, participating in parades and performing for a fashion show have all been highlights for 2014 Miss Mississippi’s Outstanding Teen Grace Munro. However, with a year filled with opportunities and events Munro called “spectacular,” it has been the people she has gotten to know during her year as the title holder that she says she will hold dearest in her heart.

“The best part of my year has been getting to know the people from the Miss Mississippi Board. It has been one of the greatest things, getting to meet new people that have taken me under their wing. The people here are incredible,” she said.

Munro said she also met many new friends when she visited the Blair E. Batson Children’s Hospital. She also got to know other contestants during the Miss America’s Outstanding Teen Pageant competition in Orlando.

“I really loved going to Batson Children’s hospital and meeting with the patients. I also loved meeting the girls from the Miss America’s Outstanding Pageant. They were a blast,” she said.

Munro said she even has summer plans to travel to Chicago where she will meet up with a few of the girls she met while competing in the national teen pageant.

The Miss America’s Outstanding Teen Pageant was held in Orlando last summer, and Munro described the experience as “surreal.”

“A good word to describe being there is surreal or unreal, because you are on the stage with all these girls from the U.S. who were picked as well. It was an honor to represent Mississippi. I enjoyed every minute of the pageant, and I did the best I possibly could,” Munro said, adding that she thought the Miss America’s Outstanding Teen judges did a good job in choosing Olivia McMillan as the winner.

“Honestly, when you are there all you want is somebody that is really good at representing who you are and who the class is as a whole,” she said.

“We all love Olivia,” Munro said.

Munro, who just graduated from Ocean Springs High School, less than two weeks ago, also noted her graduation from high school was a highpoint in her year.

“Just graduating has been a whirlwind experience. Just looking out at all your peers with their caps and gowns and realizing this was a symbol of a new beginning, for me was a weird feeling. You feel old, and then you feel that some of the people you are sitting next to that you used to pass in the hallway, you may never see them again,” Munro said.

Serving as a teen ambassador for the state, Munro said she thought being Miss Mississippi’s Outstanding Teen while she was a senior in high school was a perfect combination for her.

“I think doing it your senior year is the best option because you really, really appreciate it. I loved it, and it kept me busy,” she said.

Even while keeping a busy schedule, Munro said she still did not miss any of her final high school moments.

“I still went to my prom and homecoming. The pageant board was flexible with me and gave me every opportunity to take advantage of my title and still allowed me to enjoy my senior year,” Munro said.

While in high school, Munro’s activities included being captain of the high school dance team, member of Mu Alpha Theta, a founding member of the Diamond Girls, and  a member of the high school cheer competition team.

Munro said she plans to attend the University of Mississippi in the fall and study communication sciences and disorders.

“My ultimate goal is to become a pediatric occupational therapist,” Munro said, and the scholarship money awarded as Miss Mississippi’s Outstanding Teen will help her achieve this goal.

“Every penny I won will go towards my education. I am part of a single parent family, and my mom has done everything for me. Everything I can do to help her, I will do,” Munro said adding that along with her mother, her sister Lilly, and her friend Katie Ranson, have been her biggest supporters.

“When a girl signs up for a pageant, the family signs the dotted line too,” Munro laughed.

Munro said she has not yet decided if she will compete in the Miss Mississippi Pageant, but when and if she does, it will not be before her sophomore or junior year of college.

“I am going to take this year off and watch the other girls compete, and I want to make sure it will be something I can put my whole heart into. I hope the people that read this don’t think pageants are silly, because every single girl that walks on that stage – it takes guts and motivation. I prepared a year to be where I am. Most people think you just walk on the stage and just wing it. It is not like that. Each girl that is up there is smart and beautiful and talented. It’s hard to find a full package, but Mississippi has it and we have the best programs ever,” Munro said.

The 2015 Miss Mississippi’s Outstanding Teen will be crowned tonight during the final round of competition, which will begin at 8 p.m. at the Vicksburg Auditorium. General admission tickets are $40 and student tickets are $20. ID is required. For more information, call 601-638-6746.