Name Rachel Berry Education Chapman University | Role Broadcaster | |
Title(s) Miss City of Orange 2010
Miss Orange County 2011
Miss Willamette Valley 2012
Miss Oregon 2012 (resigned) | ||
Rachel L. Berry (born 1988) is an American broadcast journalist and former beauty pageant titleholder from Fort Wayne, Indiana. She was crowned Miss Oregon 2012 then forced to give up the title three weeks later when pageant officials discovered that she did not meet state residency requirements for participation.
Contents
Early pageants
Berry began her pageant career as a high school student in her home state of Indiana after seeing a friend compete. She entered the Miss Allen County Queen pageant in 2004 and took third runner-up, again in 2005 where she was named first runner-up, and finally in 2006 when she claimed the county title. The winner competes in the Miss Indiana State Fair Queen Pageant and reigns ceremonially over the Allen County Fair. Berry was not a Top-10 finalist for the state title.
After graduation, Berry moved to California to attend Chapman University. She began entering local pageants and, in her second attempt at the title, was crowned Miss City of Orange 2010 in September 2009. She competed in the 2010 Miss California pageant with the platform "Lights on After School" and a tap dance performance in the talent portion of the competition. She was a Top-12 finalist for the state title.
In December 2010, Berry won the Miss Orange County title. She competed in the 2011 Miss California pageant with the platform "Girls, Inc." and a dance performance in the talent portion of the competition. She was a Top-10 finalist for the state title.
Miss Oregon 2012
In early 2012, Berry moved from California to Aloha, Oregon, to continue her broadcast journalism career. Now vying for Miss Oregon, Berry entered a local pageant and on April 21, 2012, she was crowned Miss Willamette Valley 2012.
Berry entered the Miss Oregon pageant in late June 2012 as one of 23 qualifiers for the state title. Her competition talent was 90 seconds of tap dance to an instrumental version of "Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing)", a 1936 swing song composed by Louis Prima and made famous by Benny Goodman. Her platform was "Girls, Inc.".
Berry won the competition on June 30, 2012, when she received her crown from outgoing Miss Oregon titleholder Caroline McGowan. She was awarded more than $12,000 in scholarship money and other prizes from the state pageant.
Stepping down
Berry stepped down as Miss Oregon on July 19, 2012 after it was exposed she did not meet pageant residency requirements. She returned scholarship prizes. Former first runner-up Nichole Mead was appointed Miss Oregon 2012.
Early life and education
Berry is a native of Fort Wayne, Indiana, and a 2006 graduate of Carroll High School in Fort Wayne. Her father is Jim Berry and her mother is Beth Berry.
Berry is a 2010 graduate of Chapman University in Orange, California, where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in television and broadcast journalism.