Rachel Ann Cole, a rising senior and theater major at Middlebury College, won the Miss Vermont pageant on June 3, in Colchester, Vt. Cole, who won $3,500 in scholarship money, was initially attracted to the idea of entering the pageant when she learned that the Miss America Organization gives over $45 million in scholarships every year.

Cole’s attitude towards the competition is practical. “My main goal was to walk off the stage after the competition with more money in scholarships than when I had walked on.”

Cole chose “Building Bridges through Literacy: Closing the Educational Gap” as her platform for her year of service. As a teaching education minor, Cole believes that all schools could benefit from an improvement in literacy programs. This past January, Cole worked in an elementary school in New York City as part of a teacher’s education internship. She also volunteered at Mary Hogan elementary school in Middlebury in the spring.

Before she represents the state of Vermont at the Miss America pageant in January, Cole plans to tour elementary and middle schools throughout Vermont to promote her platform. “My goal is to use the publicity of my crown to bring awareness to the need for literacy in our state.”