She Got Game Media Miami

Some of South Florida's most talented young women are gearing up for The Miss Miami Scholarship Pageant which gets underway March 18th at 5pm at the Hilton Downtown Miami. The winner of Miss Miami advances to compete for the Miss Florida title and if successful goes on to the crown jewel of pageants "Miss America," where a college scholarship and thousands of prize money awaits the winner. The contestants will compete in four categories: Swimsuit, Talent, Evening Wear and Interview.

The pageant featuring Miss Miami 2011 Nicole Vega, will be hosted by Lissette Gonzalez, Miss Florida 1998 and CBS 4 News Meteorologist. The event is presented by Miami Pageants, Inc., a non-profit organization promoting the development of talented, intelligent, and philanthropic young women of the community, through scholarships to further their education.

Miss Miami Pageant Executive Director Molly Hazlett Simmons is no stranger to the opportunities pageantry offers young women. A native of Centerville Texas, Molly won the title of Miss Texas 2007 and went on to become a preliminary swimsuit winner and top 8 Semi-Finalist at the 2008 Miss America Pageant. During her reign, she engaged in a year long public speaking tour consisting of over 400 appearances, and educated 100,000 people about her platform" Just Say No!" Drug Education in Schools. "The Miss America System is truly life changing. "It encourages young women to be the best they can be, and awards them for their scholastic and philanthropic achievements," Hazlett Simmons said.

The Miss America Organization is one of the nation's leading achievement programs and the world's largest provider of scholarship assistance for young women. Last year, the Miss America Organization and its state and local organizations made available more than $45 million in cash and scholarship assistance. This assistance is not just for the handful of young women who become Miss America, but is available to the over 12,000 young women who compete in the state and local competitions as well.

What: Miss Miami Scholarship Pageant When: March 18, 2012. 5pm Where: Miami Hilton Downtown 1601 Biscayne, Blvd., Miami, Florida 33132. For more information about the Miss Miami Pageant visit miamipageants.org.