On Saturday, June 17, 2023, Tara Schiphof, a 25-year-old from King, North Carolina, was elected Miss Georgia 2023 after beating 57 other contenders. The pageant’s Grand Finale was held at the River Center of Performing Arts in Columbus, Georgia.
Tara Schiphof received a sash, a title, and a $25,000 scholarship in addition to being proclaimed Miss Georgia in 2023. Miss Georgia 2022 and the reigning queen Kelsey Hollis named the reigning Miss Capital City. Tara was the 21st state winner to enter the Miss America 2024 class, and she will represent Georgia in it. Interestingly, she was competing in the Miss Georgia Scholarship Competition for the second time. She was named the first runner-up last year.
Tara Schiphof performs classical ballet.
Tara Schiphof was born in North Carolina to parents Melanie Oakley and Chris Schiphof, both of whom still reside in their hometown of King. Tara attended Mount Olive Elementary School before moving on to Chestnut Grove Middle School. She was awarded the renowned Stokes County Arts Council Scholarship, which enabled her to attend high school and then college.
Tara earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in classical dance from the University of North Carolina School of Arts in 2019. She also plans to complete a Master of Science in Management Program at Wake Forest University’s School of Business in 2020. She was a member of the university’s dancing team.
Tara Schiphof has been dancing since she was a child. She has done it everything, from performing with Dance Perfections to demonstrating her exceptional ballet abilities at Stokes Stomp, King Fest, and Walnut Cove Festival in her hometown. She relocated to Georgia for her job with Stanley Black & Decker as a marketing professional. Tara Schiphof won the Miss Macon pageant at the age of 23, her first in the state.
#YesYouCan is Miss Georgia 2023’s community service program.
Miss Georgia 2023 distinguished out from the others owing to her community service project, #YesYouCan. It is about overcoming the negativity that surrounds the notion of failure and giving it new significance.
Tara said in her victory statement:
“Through #YesYouCan, I’ve been able to provide scholarships to students and help others develop the skills needed to persevere in the face of life’s most difficult challenges.” I truly want to shift how we think about failure and make it into an opportunity for progress rather than something to be afraid of.”
She went on to say that one of the most wonderful aspects of her program is that everyone, regardless of age, background, or demography, can connect to and profit from it. She went on to say that she planned to disseminate it across Georgia’s schools. Tara also attributed her victory to her own persistence, saying:
“When I was 11 years old, I realized the value of perseverance because I competed in a competition and it took me nine years to win.” It taught me how to fail graciously and succeed with modest goals. It taught me why the trip is much more essential than the goal.”
On the same day as Miss Georgia 2023, Miss Georgia Teen 2023 was crowned.
Miss Georgia 2023 Tara Schiphof was the winner, although Miss Spirit of the South Julia DeSerio was the first runner-up. Miss Atlanta Audrey Kittila was named the second runner-up, Miss Cobb County Ludwidg Louizaire was named the third runner-up, and Miss West Georgia Taylor Burrell was named the fourth runner-up. The same evening, Miss Georgia Teen 2023 was crowned. Charlie Key of Cobb County was the winner.
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Tara, as previously stated, will represent the state of Georgia in the Miss America 2024 class. Miss America 2024 will be the pageant’s 96th edition. The event’s official date and venue have yet to be disclosed.
