Like mother, daughter wears sash — BA student represents county, just like her mom

Published 9:41 pm Monday, April 9, 2018

Madalyn Oglesby dreamed of wearing the Lincoln County Miss Hospitality sash, just like her mom did 28 years ago.

Oglesby, a senior at Brookhaven Academy, is the 18-year-old daughter of Tim and Valarie Oglesby of Bogue Chitto.

She’d seen pictures of her mother as a teenager enjoying her reign and wanted to follow in her footsteps. She earned that right Saturday at the Brookhaven-Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce at the Miss Hospitality program.

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“I just love Lincoln County,” she said. “I thought it would be an awesome opportunity to show that and to represent.”

She’s only been wearing the sash for a few days, but Oglesby is already planning for the state competition to be held in Hattiesburg in July. The Chamber will hold a series of mock interviews so the teenager will be prepared when she arrives at the state pageant, said Chamber Program Director Katie Nations.

Oglesby sells makeup and does tutorial videos to showcase her products. She’s hoping that experience will help her showcase the area as Miss Hospitality. She said it’s easy to find good things to say about Lincoln County and Brookhaven.

“I love how the people here are like family. It’s really a Home Seekers Paradise,” she said. “Anybody can move here and really enjoy living here in the community. You’re always going to feel welcome no matter where you go.”

Just like her mother, Oglesby hopes for a career in nursing.

“I’ve been praying about what I should do in my life. I feel like that’s what he’s leading me to do,” she said.

She plans to attend the University of Southern Mississippi and major in nursing with a minor in Spanish and nutrition. She’d eventually like to become a nurse anesthetist.

Oglesby is active in both academics and athletics at BA. She’s on the National Honors Society and involved with Positive Choices Club and TeenAge Republicans. She is captain of the soccer team and a varsity cheerleader.

She attends First Baptist Brookhaven and has two older brothers, Drew Granger and Kolby Oglesby.

Oglesby will represent the Chamber at all local events including ribbon cuttings, after-hours events and Business of the Month presentations. She’ll also speak at civic organizations to promote the area.

“Madalyn is kind and warm and very easy to talk to,” Nations said. “We are certain she will represent us well in the state competition.”

The state pageant added a Little Miss Hospitality to the program. Each local winner gets to choose a young lady from ages 6 to 10 from their hometown to assist them in the state pageant. Oglesby chose Ali Claire Hall, a 9-year-old BA student. Ali Claire is the daughter of Todd and Wendy Hall.

For more information on the local and state competition or ways to volunteer, call the Chamber at 601-833-1411.