O’Flaherty is first Darlington native ever to compete for Miss America
Darlington native and Miss Missouri Erin O’Flaherty will compete for the Miss America title in September in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Photo courtesy of the Miss America Organization.
Most young girls have dreams of becoming Miss America one day; and one Darlington native is getting that chance to capture the crown. Erin O’Flaherty will make that dream come true, but not as Miss South Carolina, instead she will be representing the “Show Me State” of Missouri.
O’Flaherty moved to Missouri after accepting a job two years ago. In her youth, Erin’s father had also worked there; so it’s like a second home to her.
She will be the first Darlington native ever to walk across the Boardwalk Hall stage in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Many may wonder how the trek to winning the Miss Missouri title came about.
“It was my last year of eligibility, and it was bugging me that I had only one year left to do it,” O’Flaherty said. “I had unfulfilled dreams and one last shot to compete.”
So she went for her dream and won the Miss City of Fountains title. She then beat out 29 other contestants to win the Miss Missouri crown.
Growing up in Darlington, O’Flaherty attended St. John’s Elementary School and graduated from the Wilson High School’s IB Program in 2009. As a child, she was a member of the Darlington Young Singers, a successful music group directed by Darlington native Ann Miles.
Additionally, she took vocal lessons from Darlington native Kendall Standish. O’Flaherty will sing for her talent at the Miss America pageant.
After graduation she decided to go south and attend the University of Central Florida, where she graduated in 2015. This is where the start of making it to the Atlantic City stage began.
“I never knew about the Miss America Organization until I started school at UCF,” O’Flaherty said. “I would always see Miss UCF at various events and I did some research and found out that it was a Miss Florida preliminary. I wanted to become involved at UCF so what better way than to compete in the pageant.”
O’Flaherty competed two other times at Miss Florida, as Miss Florida Everglades in 2011 and Miss Pasco County in 2012. After three attempts to capture the Miss University of Central Florida crown, her dream became a reality in 2013. She won the school’s title and went onto the Miss Florida pageant where she was named a top 15 quarterfinalist and also won the coveted Quality of Life Award for her work on her platform “Suicide Prevention.”
The road to the Miss America crown officially started this year when O’Flaherty traveled with all of the other state delegates to Washington DC in early July for an orientation. There she was able to learn everything about the national pageant, meet many of the other state delegates, and even had some time to do some sightseeing.
“I had never been to Washington DC before so it was an amazing experience,” O’Flaherty said. “I loved that they do this because it gives you a chance to be familiar with lots of the other girls when we arrive to compete in Atlantic City.”
Erin also visited the White House where she and the other contestants saw President Barack Obama walk across the lawn. They were also allowed to play with the Obama’s dogs.
O’Flaherty said the Miss America Organization has allowed her to be proud of who she is, and it also pushes her to stay motivated in her everyday life. “It has made me a better person,” O’Flaherty said. “I’ve had the time of my life competing and I don’t think it has really hit me yet that I’m actually going to be competing for Miss America.”
Attending St. John’s Elementary and eating at Jewel’s are two things that O’Flaherty will always remember about her hometown of Darlington. She is the daughter of Leslie Barnes-Young and Christian Barnes-Young of Darlington and has two sisters Justin, who has competed for Miss South Carolina and Miss Ohio and Reeve Barnes-Young.
“I grew up right in the heart of Darlington and love my hometown,” O’Flaherty said.
One of the long time traditions of the Miss America pageant is the “Show Me Your Shoes Parade” which is held the day before the pageant on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City. Each contestant chooses their own unique shoes to wear along with a costume to match. O’Flaherty will wear shoes that salute Missouri’s Kansas City Royals, winner of the 2015 Major League Baseball’s World Series. “I wanted to show them some love,” O’Flaherty said.
During pageant week she will compete in preliminary swimsuit, talent, evening gown and on-stage question competitions. She will also have a private interview with the judges. After the preliminary competitions, the contestants will be narrowed to a top 16. They will compete live on ABC on September 11 beginning at 9 p.m.
O’Flaherty encourages all young women that want to fulfill the dream of being Miss America to go for it.
“Get involved early and compete in the Miss America’s Outstanding Teen program,” O’Flaherty said. “The Miss America Organization has allowed me so many opportunities that I would not have had if I hadn’t entered into my first pageant. It’s very well worth it.”