VERDIGRIS — Alicia Clifton, Miss Oklahoma 2012, visited Verdigris Junior High Friday to speak with students about her pageant experience as well as encourage and promote volunteering.
Clifton said after her childhood friend lost his battle with Leukemia, she became inspired to assist other children facing life-threatening illnesses.
She devotes many hours volunteering at the OU Children’s Hospital, working with the Children’s Miracle Network and other organizations. During her year of service as Miss Oklahoma, Clifton will speak to others about the benefits of volunteering.
Clifton is currently a junior, studying broadcast journalism at the University of Oklahoma, an Honor’s Scholar and on the President’s Honor Roll.
At age three, she began tap dancing. Since then she has become a national and international dance award winner, holding two dance related Guiness World Records.
Clifton will tap dance for her talent in the 2013 Miss America Pageant. She performed her routine for the Verdigris Junior High students Friday.
In 2010 and 2011, Clifton competed for the title of Miss Oklahoma placing 2nd runner up both years. She was crowned Miss Oklahoma after her third attempt in June.
“I trained hard for a year before each pageant and never gave up. I knew what I wanted,” she said.
After the pageant, Clifton plans to return to OU, finish her degree in broadcast journalism and eventually become the next Katie Couric.
She will represent Oklahoma in the Miss America Pageant Jan. 12 in Las Vegas live on ABC.
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