PHOTO | Submitted
Hannah Lomax of Russellville was named the 67th Miss Tech on Feb. 10; she competed against ten other students.
“It felt like a dream,” Lomax said. “I was so happy and blessed that I was crowned and ready to represent Tech the best I can.”
Lomax started competing when she was 17 and was crowned Miss Historic Batesville in 2022 and Miss City Lights in 2021.
She is a senior double majoring in biology with a biomedical concentration and music. Lomax is also a specialist in the Army National Guard and a third-generation service member.
“I grew up with the military culture,” she said. “It has always been the case that a son has joined, but it is just my little sister and me, and we were raised with the mindset you can do whatever you want to do, so three days after my 18 birthday, I joined.”
Her journey in the military helped her develop her platform, Letters of Hope.
“It all started when I attended basic training; we only got four calls for ten minutes. However, we were able to get letters, so mail day was like Christmas Day,” she said. “I always had a stack of letters, but I saw others who received nothing, and it stayed with me. So creating a program that helped send letters to people in the military became one of my goals.”
She has collected approximately 1,700 letters delivered to service members and veterans in two years.
Entering the Miss Tech competition has been one of Lomax’s goals since she was 7; however, the journey there was not the easiest.
“I dealt with horrible performance anxiety, which sounds odd because I am a music major,” Lomax said. “But I did, and I remember the first time I fell in love with performing on stage. It was for Miss Arkansas last summer, and the crowd was awesome. I felt proud of myself and left the stage crying because I finally loved performing.”
Overcoming the struggle led Lomax to learn personal lessons and improve her confidence and skills.
“Trusting myself and knowing when it is time to work harder or slow down was a big part of this journey, and I learned that through the competitions,” she said.
During Miss Tech, the contestants participate in a talent portion. Lomax performed “La Malaguena” on the piano.
“I chose that song because I kept returning to it,” Lomax said. “I had 90 seconds to perform, which is a complicated song to learn and then perform live, but I was up for the challenge and was happy that I stuck to that song.”
Her parents and family members have been some of the biggest supporters in her journey.
“They told me if I have the passion and the willingness to work towards my goals and dreams, nothing will stand in my way. I would not be here without their support,” Lomax said.
Lomax will now begin the journey to Miss Arkansas, which takes place June 3-10 at Robinson Performance Hall in Little Rock; this will be her third time participating but her first time representing Tech.
“I am ready to be a hands-on Miss Tech,” she said. “I have a few ideas for events that will help Letters to Hope; I am ready to meet the student body involved and help show off Tech.”
Alongside the crown and two-semester tuition scholarship, Lomax won the Zachary McClure Denison Leadership Award, the Red Carpet Award, the On-Stage Interview plus Social Impact Initiative Award and the Instrumentalist/Artistic/Spoken Word Award. She was also a co-winner of the Nona Dirksmeyer Memorial Talent Award.
Editor’s Note: Kate Manuel was the first runner-up, Onnalyse Smith was the second runner-up, Faith Tooke was the third runner-up and Jazmine Houston was the fourth runner-up.
