Eley seeks Miss Ohio USA pageant title

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PORTSMOUTH — Ayla Eley of Middle Point will compete for the title of Miss Ohio USA during a statewide pageant scheduled for November 9-10 in Portsmouth. Eley earned the right to compete in the Miss Ohio USA pageant by being named Miss Northern Ohio USA during a preliminary pageant held in Dayton earlier this year.

Eley is a junior at The Ohio State University in Columbus majoring in photography, with a double minor in fashion retailing studies and entrepreneurship. She is employed at the corporate office of Lane Bryant in the merchandise and jewelry department.

She is also an independent jewelry consultant for Premier High Fashion Jewelry and recently started an internship as a writer for the online magazine, Pageant Planet.

Eley is a member of the OSU Photography Club, the Photography and Enthusiast Club of Columbus and is a freelance photographer for the OSU newspaper, The Lantern.

The Miss Ohio USA and Miss Ohio Teen USA pageants will be offering more than $1 million in college scholarships to be awarded to the winners, finalists and semifinalists.

The final competition, which will be held at the Vern Riffe Center for the Arts on November 10, starting at 4:30 p.m., consists of three segments: evening gown, fitness/swimsuit and the final question.

Finally, at approximately 6:15 p.m., the crowning moment will arrive. The winner, Miss Ohio USA 2013, will be announced, claiming the title and prize list that includes travel, a wardrobe, college scholarships and, most importantly, the honor of representing the state in the ultimate pageant — Miss USA — which will be telecast live in primetime on NBC.

Miss USA ultimately goes on to represent the United States in the Miss Universe competition. More than 600 million people view the Miss USA and Miss Universe competitions in more than 45 countries worldwide.

The Miss Universe organization, producers of Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants, is a Donald J. Trump and NBC partnership.

The preliminary show and competition will be held in the Vern Riffe Center for the Arts on Friday, November 9, at 8 p.m. Tickets are available through the center’s box office by calling 740.351.3600 or through Ticketmaster.

For more information, visit the organization on its Facebook page through the links at either www.missohiousa.com or www.missiohioteenusa.com and follow Miss Ohio USA or Miss Ohio Teen USA 2012 or register to enter the next state finals.