Miss Darlington Scholarship Board and Committee Introduces Members
Photo Contributed
Photo Contributed
The Miss Darlington Pageant will be held Sunday May 21 from 5-7:30 p.m. at St. John’s Elementary School. Meet two members of the Miss Darlington Scholarship Board and Committee: Local Executive Director Will Isgett and Chairman of the Board Ashley Dingle.
Isgett, A Darlington native, is 44 years old and a 1990 graduate of St. John’s High School, a 1995 graduate of Florence-Darlington Technical College and a 1997 graduate of Coker College with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physical Education with an emphasis in Sports Communication. After completing his required internship at Darlington International Raceway, his sports journalism career started with the Florence Morning News. He then accepted a job in media relations with the Charlotte Knights baseball team, the Triple A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox in Fort Mill. His trek then led him back to his hometown of Darlington where he served as a general journalist with the News and Press. He accepted a position with the Hartsville Messenger as a general journalist, winning several awards for his writing and photography thorough the South Carolina Press Association, until his retirement due to Becker Muscular Dystrophy; in all he served 14 years as a journalist.
His love for pageants began at the age of 6 when he attended his first Miss Southern 500 pageant, and followed his step-sister along her journey in the Little Miss South Carolina pageant. In 1997, Isgett joined the Miss Florence Scholarship Pageant and later became Co-Local Executive Director with now Miss South Carolina pageant Vice President Chaz Ellis. Isgett and Ellis helped lead Shelly Benthall to the Miss South Carolina Teen title. Isgett also assisted the Miss South Carolina media team of Jan Scalisi and Margie Watkins for one year, and has served as Local Executive Director of the Miss Midstate Pageant the Miss S.C. Sweet Potato Festival and the Miss Darlington pageants and facilitator of the Miss Darlington High School pageant.
He has mentored 30 young women in his time as a director and has led three of his queens to top five finishes, three miss top tens, two teen top tens two preliminary talent winners, the teen Quality of Life Award, four miss and teen media winners, both miss and teen STEM scholarship winners, the teen miracle maker award, both miss and teen most community service hours winners, the miss academic award, miss photogenic winner and the teen congeniality winner. He was named the 2010 Miss South Carolina Pageant Local Executive Director of the Year and is entering his 19th year as a volunteer with the organization. In all his queens have walked away with more than $30,000 in college scholarships locally, statewide and nationally.
Dingle is a 2008 graduate of Francis Marion University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Mass Communications with a double concentration in Public Relations and Broadcast Journalism and a Minor in Psychology. In 2006 she was 3rd runner-up to Miss South Carolina as Miss Liberty, and and in 2005 she earned top ten honors at Miss South Carolina as Miss Midstate under the leadership of the new Miss Darlington Local Executive Director Will Isgett. Dingle also received the Presidential Community Service Award for completing over 100 hours of community service raising awareness of children’s health and fitness programs for parents, educators and children throughout South Carolina during her competition years. Dingle is now the Director of the Gould Manufacturing and Business Incubator at Florence-Darlington Technical College in which she assists in establishing and growing new business ventures by providing an affordable, supportive launching platform for first and second stage companies. She is a member of the Florence Rotary Club, the Pee Dee Business and Professional Network and Start Up Weekend Hartsville Committee.
