The 2012 Miss FMU will be crowned Thursday, April 5 in the Chapman Auditorium at 6 p.m. The event will be free to the public.

Miss FMU is chosen by her ability to represent the university, pageant performance and interview. She has a responsibility to choose a community service project that she will devote time and dedication to during her reign. The judges will pick Miss FMU, two runners-up, and Miss Congeniality at the event.

Current Miss FMU Cari Ellen Hicks is a senior majoring in marketing. She chose the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation as her platform.

“The title has never been about wearing the crown or telling people that I won; to me, it’s more about using the crown to help other people,” Hicks said.

Hicks said that being Miss FMU has helped her become a better-rounded person and gave her various opportunities.

“I interviewed for about 10 different newspapers, and immediately I started getting phone calls to speak at different events, judge pageants and volunteer for things,” Hicks said. “Being Miss FMU has made me an incredible multi-tasker.”

Hicks said that she will miss the crown because it gives her a bigger voice in the public.

“I think the one thing that being Miss FMU has helped me the most with is giving me a voice,” Hicks said. “I’ve always had a voice, but the crown just turns up the volume.”

Miss FMU is sponsored by Student Affairs, and they have been crowning Miss FMU for over 20 years.  To be a candidate for Miss FMU, a student must have a 2.5 GPA and be a full-time student.