The Miss Mississippi pageant is more than a beauty pageant.

As we’ve seen time and time again as young women have been crowned in the Red Carpet City, the pageant provides bounds of opportunities for these ladies.

Wednesday, Miss Mississippi Hannah Roberts spoke to the Vicksburg-Warren County Chamber of Commerce about her journey at Miss Mississippi and first-runner up to Miss America, including the scholarship dollars she’s won along the way.

“I will graduate from medical school without student debt,” Roberts said. “I’m going to have a humble and thankful Thanksgiving.”

For the rest of Roberts’ reign, she will continue her visits to schools, hospitals, military bases and the like, promoting her pageant platform — Pages of Love — which aims to give children greater access to books to read.

“I meet so many children who do not have books, and when we give them a book, they ask if they can take it home,” she said. “So many people take for granted the things we have. I’m thankful for my literacy and the education I have and for my parents, who raised me to love education.”

Saturday night, six girls will be crowned on stage at Vicksburg High School, each hoping to secure a spot in June at the Miss Mississippi pageant.

These girls will have a long road ahead of them of working on fitness, talent and current events, while at the same time promoting their philanthropy of choice.

Local director for Saturday’s pageant Tammy Wells said the pageant has endless benefits for girls and she encourages everyone considering participating in the pageant to sign up.

“I think one of the greatest parts of these programs is the doors that they open,” she said. “You meet people that help further your career; the sky is the limit. The friendships that you make are lifelong.”

Saturday at the Miss Vicksburg pageant, Vicksburg will see which of its own will be chosen to represent our fair city at the Miss Mississippi pageant.

Let’s support our hometown royalty.