Who is Miss Georgia 2021 Karson Pennington? Q&A with winner crowned in Columbus
Doctoral student. E-book author. Literacy advocate. Research scholar. Honor graduate. Dancer. Teaching assistant. And now Miss Georgia 2021.
The day after Miss University of Georgia Karson Pennington, 23, of Augusta, won the state title Saturday night at the RiverCenter for the Performing Arts, she sat down with the Ledger-Enquirer to discuss how she reached this milestone, what it means to her and what she has learned along the way.
This interview was edited for brevity and clarity.
So what’s your reaction to winning?
“I was definitely surprised. I’ve been competing in the Miss America Organization since I was 13 years old. I began in our princess program at the age of 10, then became a teen candidate when I was 13, and I really can’t believe that I’m Miss Georgia right now. It’s been a dream of mine for so many years. Last night, when we took the picture with the Forever Miss Georgias, it was crazy to be standing next to the women that I’ve admired my entire life and to be one of them now.”
Why do you compete in this program?
“It began as a family affair. My mother competed at Miss Georgia in 1987, and she was always involved in pageants and competitions, and my sister and I just gravitated toward that. I grew up singing and dancing, being on the stage. So being in Miss Georgia was always something my sister and I wanted to do. …
“Every time we stepped on the stage, we became a little bit more confident in who we were as women, as people. The more we did it, the more we felt like we were ourselves. The personal growth that I’ve achieved through this organization is monumental.
“… Now, it’s certainly about the scholarships that are awarded. The Miss America Organization is the No. 1 provider of scholarships to women in the United States, and the Miss Georgia Organization provided over $50,000 in scholarships this year.”
What do you hope to accomplish as Miss Georgia?
“My primary goal is to further my social impact initiative, which is ROAR: Reach Out And Read.
“I stuttered as a child. When I was three years old, I could barely get words out of my mouth. The tip that the pediatrician gave to my parents was for me to read out loud. To know what word was coming next would help me gain confidence in my speaking ability. So I started reading at the age of three, and I haven’t stopped since. … My goal as Miss Georgia is to improve the quality of education in this state.”
How would Reach Out And Read help do that?
“Much of my program has gone online because of COVID, which I think has actually allowed it to reach more people. … I have a lot of virtual book readings. I have a lot of tips aimed at people of ages.
“I talk a lot about the cycle of illiteracy. … It can’t be broken unless somebody learns how to read in that family setting. … I’ve provided pamphlets to children across the state that they take home in their folders to give to their parents about resources they can use to improve their literacy skills.”
You also try to reach these families through their doctor’s office, right?
“Doctor’s offices are often the first place that children experience a book if they don’t have books at home. … My doctor’s office always used to let us take home the books if we really wanted them, so they’re always looking for more donations.”
You are fixing to become a quadruple Dawg, already with three degrees from the University of Georgia, and now pursuing a doctorate in political science and international affairs. What is it about UGA that keeps you coming back?
“The University of Georgia has given me endless opportunities to continue my education and has provided so much support to me as Miss University of Georgia when I was preparing for Miss Georgia. … The quality of education there, I’ve met a lot of professors that I really click with. They want to see their students succeed.”
What’s your career goal?
“My ultimate career goal would be to teach in a collegiate setting. I have a lot of career ambitions in politics in general, but, at the basic level, I would love to educate on the importance of American politics. I think it’s very important that young people know how government works. It would surprise you how many don’t when they enter college.
“I was a teaching assistant for the first time this past semester, and students had very basic questions that you think they would know, and they didn’t.”
What are some of the misconceptions you want to clear up and the principles you want to ensure young folks understand?
“Voting, No. 1. It’s the most basic right that we have as American citizens, and many of my students were confused as to how to register, how to get to a polling location, which polling location was theirs. … They can and should be involved in politics.”
With so much information about politics and government available on the internet, why is there a knowledge gap?
“I almost think that the easier access to information makes it more difficult to weed out what’s true and what’s not, being overwhelmed with so much information. I found that from a lot of my students. I ask them, ‘Where do you get your news?’ And they say, ‘Twitter.’ And I say, ‘Well, how do you know what’s accurate and what’s not?’ And they say, ‘We don’t.’ They try their best, but they’re overwhelmed with information and misinformation at the same time. So they don’t know what to believe. They don’t know where to find accurate information.”
How should we solve that?
“Hopefully, by teaching them. I try to show them good news sites to look at, that aren’t so biased, that show the wide spectrum. … I think that is the most important thing to teach people: to be open-minded, to look at every single side, every single perspective, before making a decision. Try to obtain as much information — correct information — as possible, even though it’s really difficult today.”
Where did you get your passion for politics?
“I found it at UGA in a judicial politics class my junior year, when I began my master’s program. I had a mentor — her name is (Christina) Boyd — and she’s still my mentor today. Being in her classroom, hearing her talk about the importance of the judiciary, fueled my fire to learn more about them.”
What was your thesis?
“I wrote my master’s thesis on Supreme Court decision-making and majority opinion assignments. I researched the different ways that, if a justice on the Supreme Court is given the opportunity to be an opinion assigner, what goes through their head? What is their decision making? Which justice do they give it to? Does it depend on issue area, ideology? Things like that.”
So what were your findings?
“That Supreme Court justices take into account ideology, and associate justices that have less opportunity to assign opinions are more biased in choosing justices that are ideologically proximate to them.”
What else do you want to inspire people about as Miss Georgia?
“I hope to inspire them to be themselves. … I’ve been the girl that stood on the stage and didn’t get a crown, never heard my name called one time for years. And I kept coming back and back and back, and now I’m sitting here in front of you with my Miss Georgia sash and crown in disbelief that I’m Miss Georgia, that I’m on my way to Miss America, that I have this opportunity to represent my state — because I am enough.”
This story was originally published June 20, 2021 at 6:25 PM.
