Tusculum College’s Candace Babb will be among the contestants in the Miss Tennessee Pageant this June when the pageant is held in Jackson, Tenn. Babb will compete after qualifying by winning this year’s Miss Knoxville title.
Babb is junior this year at the College, majoring in Elementary Education. She is from Greeneville and is the daughter of Curtis and Teresa Babb. This is her second visit to the state competition as she previously competed as Miss Bristol. The Tennessee pageant is a preliminary competition for the Miss America pageant.
According to Babb, the Miss America organization is the largest provider of scholarship for women, and she has received $4,000 in scholarship assistance to date from her participation. She has used that toward her education at Tusculum College.
“I was interested in the scholarships and it was a way to utilize my talent,” said Babb. Her talent in the competition is piano and this year she will be playing a selection of ragtime music. Her platform is MUSIQ – advocating the benefits of music on the mind, hands and heart.
“Music has always been really important to me,” she said. Babb has played the piano and performed vocally for most of her life.
In addition to her participation in the pageants, Babb is a member of the Tusculum College Student Alumni Association and participates in the Pioneering Mentoring Program. She is a member of the Tusculum College Community Chorus and is the pianist and director of music ministries for Greenwood United Methodist Church. She is also an advocate for Children’s Miracle Network and has raised $750 for their cause this year.