Photo by Katherine McKiever
Meridian native and former Miss Mississippi Holly Brand discovers new-found fame as a contestant on NBC ’ s “ The Voice .”
Her pageant fascination dates back to elementary school when she attended West Lauderdale Elementary School .
“ When I was five , West Lauderdale sent home the Little Beauty and Beau flier , and I gave it to my mom and she laughed . It was like ‘ I am not doing that ’ because she didn ’ t really see herself as a pageant mom ,” Brand said . “ She ended up letting me do it , and somehow I won and really just kind of became obsessed with pageants .”
Brand continued at West until sixth grade , and then she was homeschooled . She later took dual enrollment classes through Meridian Community College .
Her love of pageants continued throughout high school and while she was a student at the University of Alabama , where she graduated in 2021 with a bachelor ’ s degree in communications studies and a minor in religious studies . Later that year , she would win the Miss Mississippi crown , taking first place in the talent portion of the competition , on a social impact platform of volunteerism .
“ My slogan was ‘ If you see the need , take the lead ,” she said . “ By that , I meant if you see a need arise or a problem that needs to be fixed , it is important not to wait on somebody else but to take the initiative to solve it .”
As Miss Mississippi , she traveled more than 32,000 miles across the state partnering with numerous organizations to establish service projects or promote existing ones in local communities .
“ I loved it ,” she said of her year-long reign . “ I loved to travel , and I loved meeting new people .” www . meridianstar . com
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