CBA homecoming queen to compete in state contest
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on March 15, 2013 1:46 PM
Full SizeCharles B. Aycock High School senior and homecoming queen Tiffany Hill leaves Saturday for Salisbury, where she will compete in the 33rd annual North Carolina Homecoming Queen contest, with hopes of advancing to the national event held later this summer in California.
The varsity cheerleader with aspirations of becoming an oncology nurse has been on her high school's homecoming court all four years and in the fall was crowned queen. In December, she was invited to participate in the "America's Homecoming Queen" program and attended the 54th annual AutoZone Liberty Bowl Football Classic in Memphis, Tenn.
While that was not a competitive event, it did entail interviews to narrow down the field for the Homecoming Queen of America.
She was recently notified that she is among those chosen as finalists for this weekend's state contest. The 2013 Homecoming Queen will receive a cash scholarship plus an all expense paid trip to the national event in July.
Regardless of the outcome Sunday night, she is also competing in an online contest for North Carolina's favorite homecoming queen. The public can vote for her at www.americashomecomingqueen.com. Winner will be announced July 25.
A member of HOSA, the school's health occupations club, when she graduates in the spring she will be a CNA, or certified nursing assistant. She plans to attend Wayne Community College in the fall and go on to become a nurse, a long-time aspiration that stemmed from her own health crisis as a child.
At age 6, she developed lung cancer in her left lung, her mother, Holly Hill, said, and had surgery to remove one of her lungs. She later developed asthma, but has now been cancer-free for 13 years.
She admits she was surprised at the turn of events in the homecoming competition, and said she looks forward to meeting girls from other high schools in the state at the state finals.
Contestants will compete in formal gown, business attire and interview categories. There is no talent portion, Tiffany said, although there may be at the national level.
"I thought it would be great to experience it," she said of the opportunity. "It's also like when you do the interview, it's what you do after you graduate from high school, like a job interview."
To keep up her confidence and stay focused, she said she applies the same techniques she uses during cheerleading competitions -- "I kind of look off in the crowd but have eye contact, always have good posture, and smile a lot."
What does she think are qualities of a good homecoming queen?
"I think they're looking for somebody that's an all-around person, has a great personality, very sociable and does stuff in the community as well," she said.
In addition to the potential for scholarship money, she stands to also receive a crown and a banner for her school, she added.