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Charlottesville woman crowned Miss Virginia 2024, will promote substance abuse prevention

Rebecca Barnabi
Miss Virginia 2024 Carlehr Swanson poses with Rhonda Howdyshell. Courtesy of Howdyshell.

A Charlottesville woman was crowned Miss Virginia 2024 on Saturday, June 24 at the Berglund Center in Roanoke.

Carlehr Swanson won $22,500 in scholarship awards and will represent the Commonwealth in January 2025 in the national Miss America pageant competition, as reported by ABC News.

For the next year, Swanson will travel the Commonwealth as a motivational speaker, and serve as a goodwill ambassador and a performing artist.

On behalf of the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control, Swanson hopes to visit more than 70 elementary schools and promote healthy choices to prevent substance abuse.

Swanson will also spread her personal message about the importance of music.

Rhonda Howdyshell, The Cinderella Project founder who has competed in competitions, attended the Miss Virginia competition and watched Swanson’s win. Howdyshell is currently Ms. Senior World VA 70s 2024.

“I took note of her talent because she not only played the piano beautifully. She also sang,” Howdyshell of Middlebrook said.

Fredericksburg woman crowned Mrs. Virginia 2024 in USA Pageant – Augusta Free Press

Rebecca Barnabi

Rebecca Barnabi

Rebecca J. Barnabi is the national editor of Augusta Free Press. A graduate of the University of Mary Washington, she began her journalism career at The Fredericksburg Free-Lance Star. In 2013, she was awarded first place for feature writing in the Maryland, Delaware, District of Columbia Awards Program, and was honored by the Virginia School Boards Association’s 2019 Media Honor Roll Program for her coverage of Waynesboro Schools. Her background in newspapers includes writing about features, local government, education and the arts.