Miss University of Mobile crowned

Dayna Schaumann, a junior musical theatre major at the University of Mobile (UM) from Santa Rosa Beach, Fla., was recently crowned Miss University of Mobile 2005.  
   
She will compete in the Miss Alabama pageant in June, a preliminary that leads to the Miss America Pageant in Atlantic City, N.J.   
   
Miss University of Mobile serves as the official hostess of the university.  
   
Her responsibilities include participation in alumni activities, dedications, homecoming, receptions and numerous community and student events. 
   
“I am excited about being Miss UM,” said Schaumann, who received more than $1,300 in scholarship money in the competition. “I always wanted to represent UM and reach out to students to tell them about UM. This school has been such a blessing to me, and I want to be able to share that with others.”
   
Schaumann’s performance of Madame Butterfly, an opera by Giacomo Puccini, earned first place in the talent portion of the competition. She chose Madame Butterfly in honor of her mother, Kathy, who listened to the opera with Schaumann when she was a child.  
   
Schaumann’s platform for the Miss Alabama pageant is “Structured After-School Environment,” a program designed to improve after-school care for young children.   
   
Schaumann has volunteered at after-school programs in Florida and is currently working with an after-school program at Goodwill Easter Seals in Mobile with children ranging from 6 months to 12 years. 
   
“I really want to get the community more involved at the Easter Seals and other organizations similar to it. I think it is important for children to develop an area of performance that they are comfortable in,” she said.  
   
Schaumann said that children who participate in after-school programs whose structure is built with tutoring skills, performances, storytime and outdoor activities, will quickly sharpen their educational skills as well as gain confidence in themselves. 
   
“I love watching children grow from a shy student to a student who is comfortable not only with themselves but with others. I think it is the biggest reward, because it makes it all worth it,” she said. 
   
Schaumann is a member of Dayspring Baptist Church in Mobile, where she is active in the women’s Bible study and college and career group. 
   
She is also active in UM’s Upper Room Dinner Theatre, Opera Workshop and University Singers.   
   
Other Miss University of Mobile pageant finalists were first runner-up, Scarlette O’Hara of Mobile; second runner-up, Kourtney Campbell of Creola; Swimsuit and Miss Congeniality, Jill Walters of Baton Rouge, La. (UM)