Melissa McConnell
Encyclopedia
Melissa Marie McConnell is a beauty queen who has held the title Miss Louisiana USA
and has competed at Miss USA
.
McConnell, who hails from Ruston, Louisiana
, is an experienced pageant contestant. She had placed in the semi-finals in the 2001 pageant, increased her position to third runner-up in the 2002 pageant and came close to winning the title in 2003 when she placed first runner up to Brittney Rogers
of Shreveport
. Rogers would later go on to compete in The Amazing Race 9
.
The 2004 pageant, held at Lafayette
's Heymann Performing Arts Theater in October 2003, was McConnell's last possible attempt because of the age restriction imposed by the Miss Universe Organization
. On her fourth attempt, she finally won the Miss Louisiana USA
title.
McConnell represented Louisiana
in the nationally televised Miss USA 2004
pageant broadcast live from the Kodak Theatre
in Los Angeles, California
on 12 April 2004, but failed to place. The pageant was won by Shandi Finnessey
of Missouri
.
McConnell graduated from Ruston High School
in 1995 and went on to complete a bachelor's degree
in journalism
from Texas A&M University
in 1999. She then returned to Louisiana, where she attended Louisiana State University
and completed her Juris Doctor
and Civil Law
degree, passing her bar exam on her first attempt. She is currently working as an attorney
.
In 1994 McConnell established the Hope Empowers and Renews Others award to recognize and encourage ordinary people who reach out in love and service in an extraordinary manner. During her reign as Miss Louisiana USA, she awarded this honor to one special Louisianan every month.
Miss Louisiana USA
The Miss Louisiana USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Louisiana in the Miss USA pageant.Louisiana is one of the most successful states at Miss USA and is one of only seven states to have had three or more Miss USAs.Three Miss Louisiana USA titleholders...
and has competed at Miss USA
Miss USA
The Miss USA beauty contest has been held annually since 1952 to select the United States entrant in the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe Organization operates both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA...
.
McConnell, who hails from Ruston, Louisiana
Ruston, Louisiana
Ruston is a city in and the parish seat of Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 20,546 at the 2000 census. Ruston is near the eastern border of the Ark-La-Tex and is the home of Louisiana Tech University. Its economy caters to its college population...
, is an experienced pageant contestant. She had placed in the semi-finals in the 2001 pageant, increased her position to third runner-up in the 2002 pageant and came close to winning the title in 2003 when she placed first runner up to Brittney Rogers
Brittney Rogers
-Career:In 2003 she won the title Miss Louisiana USA, having previously placed 2nd runner-up at the Miss Louisiana Teen USA 2000 pageant. She represented Louisiana at the Miss USA 2003 pageant held in San Antonio, Texas, where she failed to place. The pageant was won by Susie Castillo of...
of Shreveport
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
. Rogers would later go on to compete in The Amazing Race 9
The Amazing Race 9
The Amazing Race 9 is the ninth installment of the American reality television show The Amazing Race. This season featured eleven teams of two with a pre-existing relationship in a race around the world to win one million dollars. The show premiered on Tuesday, February 28, 2006 and concluded on...
.
The 2004 pageant, held at Lafayette
Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette is a city in and the parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the Vermilion River. The population was 120,623 at the 2010 census...
's Heymann Performing Arts Theater in October 2003, was McConnell's last possible attempt because of the age restriction imposed by the Miss Universe Organization
Miss Universe Organization
The Miss Universe Organization is the organization that currently owns and runs the Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA beauty contests. Based in New York, it is owned jointly by NBC Universal and Donald Trump. The current president is Paula Shugart...
. On her fourth attempt, she finally won the Miss Louisiana USA
Miss Louisiana USA
The Miss Louisiana USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Louisiana in the Miss USA pageant.Louisiana is one of the most successful states at Miss USA and is one of only seven states to have had three or more Miss USAs.Three Miss Louisiana USA titleholders...
title.
McConnell represented Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
in the nationally televised Miss USA 2004
Miss USA 2004
The Miss USA 2004 pageant was held at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California on April 12, 2004. The winner of the beauty pageant was Shandi Finnessey, who became the first winner from the state of Missouri...
pageant broadcast live from the Kodak Theatre
Kodak Theatre
The Kodak Theatre is a live theatre in the Hollywood and Highland shopping mall and entertainment complex on Hollywood Boulevard and North Highland Avenue in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles...
in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
on 12 April 2004, but failed to place. The pageant was won by Shandi Finnessey
Shandi Finnessey
Shandi Ren Finnessey is an American beauty queen, model, television hostess, and actress. She is best known for winning the Miss USA title, as Miss Missouri USA. She previously held the title of Miss Missouri 2002 and competed in Miss America where she won a preliminary award...
of Missouri
Miss Missouri USA
The Miss Missouri USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Missouri in the Miss USA pageant. In 1993, Missouri joined the Vanbros group of state pageants for the Miss USA and Teen USA system....
.
McConnell graduated from Ruston High School
Ruston High School
Ruston High School is a 4 year public high school located in the Lincoln Parish School District of Ruston, Louisiana, United States. The school has an enrollment of approximately 1200 students with 85 faculty members; the mascot is the bearcat. The school colors are red and white. Black students...
in 1995 and went on to complete a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
from Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
in 1999. She then returned to Louisiana, where she attended Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
and completed her Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
and Civil Law
Civil law (legal system)
Civil law is a legal system inspired by Roman law and whose primary feature is that laws are codified into collections, as compared to common law systems that gives great precedential weight to common law on the principle that it is unfair to treat similar facts differently on different...
degree, passing her bar exam on her first attempt. She is currently working as an attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
.
In 1994 McConnell established the Hope Empowers and Renews Others award to recognize and encourage ordinary people who reach out in love and service in an extraordinary manner. During her reign as Miss Louisiana USA, she awarded this honor to one special Louisianan every month.