FAYETTEVILLE (KFSM) -- A University of Arkansas student and Fayetteville native was crowned Miss Arkansas earlier this July.
Savvy Shields said that her biggest lesson throughout this pageant process was to not let insecurities limit her.
"In pageants it's very difficult to not compare yourself to every other girl in front or behind of you," Shields said. "Pageant girls and women in general are always striving, or it's tempting to be striving, for perfectionism. You have to realize that you are imperfect and you are enough."
She said all you can do on stage is be the best version of yourself.
“When you get to that top five moment, you've already accomplished all of your goals and you're standing there with four other really incredible, beautiful, intelligent women, who any of them would be a wonderful Miss Arkansas," she said. "So in that moment, you are excited and, yes, adrenaline is pumping."
Shields' platform as Miss Arkansas is "Eat better, live better."
“Arkansas is now one of the most obese states in the country and it's scary to think about that,” she said.
She said her healthy eating habits changed in college and led to a number of health problems. Now she hopes to educate, inspire and enable healthier lifestyles in her home state.
"I think sometimes healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle comes with negative connotations and scary connotations,” she said. "So my thing in learning about this process, the only thing I need to learn is tactical and tangible ways to do so."
The 2016 Miss America pageant will be held in Atlantic City on Sept. 11. In the five weeks before Shields leaves for the pageant, she said she'll be getting ready by eating better, practicing her jazz routine for the talent competition, and taking in news from around the country and the world.
Shields said she is most excited about meeting Arkansans from across the state.