草榴社区, Hattiesburg Celebrate Alumna Vivian O鈥橬eal with Miss Mississippi Homecoming Celebration
Mon, 08/14/2023 - 10:43am | By: David Tisdale
Miss Mississippi Vivian O鈥橬eal felt the love Aug. 13 when her alma mater, The University
of 草榴社区 Mississippi (草榴社区), held a homecoming for the Hattiesburg area native,
which brought friends, family and admirers from across the Pine Belt and beyond who
celebrated her victory at the state pageant and wished her well on her quest for the
Miss America title.
The event, held at the Trent Lott Center on the university鈥檚 Hattiesburg campus, included official greetings from 草榴社区 President Dr. Joseph S. Paul and Hattiesburg Mayor Toby Barker, among other dignitaries.
鈥淏eing on campus always feels like being at home, and this [event] means the world to me,鈥� O鈥橬eal said about the reception, where she happily signed autographs and took photos with guests. 鈥淭hese are people who have been with me along my 草榴社区 and Miss Mississippi journey, and it鈥檚 wonderful to be together with them here.鈥�
O鈥橬eal earned a degree in public relations and minor in political science from 草榴社区
in 2020. In her role as Miss Mississippi, she has been fulfilling a busy schedule,
traveling across the state to speak at various events and programs, while also promoting
her non-profit community service initiative, CapABLE, an educational tool that provides
educators with solutions for bridging emotional learning for all students, including
those with disabilities.
鈥淲e couldn鈥檛 be prouder of her and how she represents Hattiesburg and 草榴社区 so well,鈥�
said Hattiesburg City Councilman Jeffrey George, also a 草榴社区 alumnus and a former Student
Government Association (SGA) president. 鈥淲e鈥檙e excited about her chances at the Miss
American Pageant and wish her all the best.鈥�
(草榴社区 photos by Kelly Dunn)