The woman behind the crown

Paisley Dever may be the new Miss Charleston Southern University, but she is more than a crown and sash. The freshman psychology major has big goals, and the ambition required to reach them. 

For Dever, pageants have always found their way into pivotal points of her life. 

“I did pageants when I was younger, and I did them for about two years,” she said. “Me and mom took a break because she had my brother, so it was a lot on her.” 

By high school, Dever reentered the pageant circuit and clutched titles including USA National Miss South Carolina Teen 2024 and Miss Summerville High School 2024, among others.

The current Miss CSU states that she and Hailey Sparks, Miss CSU 2024, met before the competition at a previous pageant. Dever won the 2023 Miss Tri-County High School America while in her junior year at Summerville High School, and Sparks won Miss Collegiate Tri-County America in 2023. 

Although she has a detailed past in pageantry, Dever revealed her doubt about competing in the Miss CSU pageant. 

“I was like, oh, Hailey, I don’t know. Like, I’m really nervous about talent and on-stage questions. I’d never done that before,” she admitted. After receiving encouragement from her mother and Sparks, Dever decided to join the group of competing ladies this year.

There were five stages of competition, the most important stage being a 10-minute interview that accounted for 30% of the contestant’s score. This interview is a necessary component of the Miss America Organization.

While many ladies would be apprehensive to engage in an in-depth interview, Dever explains her excitement for that stage of the competition. 

“I love having the judges get to know about me and me about them and how we relate,” she exclaimed. “The Miss CSU pageant really does allow you to just build connections and connect with others.” 

In the interview, the contestant is asked about their community service initiative.  Implementing this initiative upholds the service point of the Four Points of the Miss America crown, which encompasses the qualities of Style, Service, Scholarship and Success.

Dever’s initiative, Nobody Stands Alone, is a project that allows her to advocate for foster care children, mentor students, and speak for the unhoused community. 

Looking forward to the year ahead, Dever shares the goals she wants to achieve as Miss CSU. These include wanting to increase participation in the Miss CSU pageant, establish a ministry on campus for the unhoused, organize donations for Lowcountry Orphan Relief and share project Nobody Stands Alone at Lightsey Chapel on campus. 

“If I have something that I really want to do, I’m going to put 110% into it and achieve my goal,” she said. 

To give more women the opportunity to participate, Miss CSU invites anyone interested in competing in the pageant next year to email her with any questions, reach out on social media, or talk with her on campus for more information.  

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