The title of Miss Georgia Southern University was awarded to junior Kaitlyn Tanner at this year’s 79th annual competition on Feb. 3. 

Tanner has been competing in pageants since she was thirteen. She is majoring in exercise science and plans to attend PA school after she graduates. 

She is a part of many organizations on campus, including the Alpha Delta Pi sorority and Georgia Southern’s Baptist College Ministry (BCM). 

Miss Georgia Southern University is part of the Miss America System, which requires each contestant to select a community service initiative to support. Tanner chose the H.E.A.R.T initiative, an organization dedicated to helping families who have adopted children. 

Tanner chose this organization because both she and her younger brother were adopted.. 

“Through my adoption story, I have always known how financially hard it can be for families to adopt children, and I have also faced some bullying,” Tanner said. 

“With my community service initiative, I go, and I spread adoption awareness by reading books to elementary schools, sharing my story, and throwing fundraisers for different adoption organizations.”

Tanner credits her mother as her inspiration. 

“My mom is resilient,” Tanner said. “She has helped me by not only raising me to be the person I am, but she is really the main inspiration for my community service initiative.”

Her mother made sure she knew growing up that “family is created through love, not DNA,” and “to be beautiful is to be unique.”

Tanner said these words really stood out to her growing up, and in preparation for the competition. 

Her friends describe her as hardworking and determined. 

“I just really felt like this was her year,” says friend Abigail Duvall. “I was so proud of her and everything she’s accomplished. She’s very caring, kind and sweet.”

Julia Ann Sellers also spoke about Tanner’s work ethic. 

“She is probably one of the hardest workers I know,” Sellers said. “In school and in everything she does, she is determined and truly one of the kindest people.”

When the announcer called Tanner’s name, she was shocked, “I was not expecting it,” she says.

Tanner plans to use her platform to spread the H.E.A.R.T initiative. 

“It means so much to me because it gives me a larger voice to spread my community service initiative and my adoption platform.”

Next, Kaitlyn Tanner will represent Georgia Southern in June at the Miss Georgia competition.