Pageant News Bureau - Shandra Morris

P a g e a n t N e w s B u r e a u

Photo by Brian Luptak

Graduating to pageants

When Shandra Morris was a senior in high school, she was faced with a big choice She could accept a modeling contract that she had won, or she could go to college. "I chose college," she says.

It was a sensible choice. Her most substantial job up to that time had been wearing a monkey suit for birthday parties at a children's arcade. Modeling sounded exciting, but a college degree would open up solid career opportunities.

On Dec. 15, 2002, Ms. Morris graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in marketing. One honor she took away with her was the title of homecoming queen. That's how we met her.

Shandra Morris, 2002 University of Pittsburgh homecoming queen, and Bob Chatlick, the homecoming king.

Homecoming photos by Joe Whiteko / PNB

She went into college looking good, and she came out looking even better. During her junior year, she had her first pageant experience, competing at Miss Pennsylvania USA. Though she didn't win, she made the grade, as they say on campus.

Now that Ms. Morris has that sheepskin, it's time to decide again. Should she go for a boring career, or she should plunge into pageants and modeling? If we were her academic advisers, we would tell her to stick to something dull and sensible. The glamour business is too much of a gamble.

But we're not academic advisers, folks. We're PNB. When we see a beautiful woman, we think about how she would look on a pageant stage. We just can't help ourselves.

So what advice do you think we're going to give Ms. Morris? You guessed it. Easier question than you'll ever get from a professor.

Photo by Brian Luptak

P a g e a n t N e w s B u r e a u