So, what's it like being Miss West Virginia? Jodi Clark of Moundsville, a 1999 WVU magna cum laude graduate in foreign languages, holds the title and is the state's representative at the annual Miss America pageant in Atlantic City this fall. "It's very exciting, with a very busy schedule," she says. "It's an honor to be West Virginia's state representative, and I'm excited to promote my personal platform and the Miss West Virginia Organization's platform for American Red Cross Blood Services." Ms. Clark, that is, Miss West Virginia, will travel over 30,000 miles altogether as she crisscrosses the state making public appearances to promote blood donation. She must compete against dozens of other outstanding young women in Atlantic City. Talent accounts for 40 percent of the total score-hers is ballet. What does she think about the opportunity to display her talent on national television? "I've been dancing since I was three years old and the chance to dance [on live television] is like fulfilling every little girl's dream." Winning contestants in all levels of the Miss America competition-local, state, and national, share $32 million in scholarship prizes each year. Clark is using her Miss West Virginia scholarship winnings (totaling nearly $13,000) to attend the WVU College of Law, where she plans to work toward becoming an international corporate attorney. A committed "right of center" Republican, Clark's Miss America platform is "Vote America: Choose Your Future." Does she think America will soon be ready for a woman president? "Yes! I thought we might have a female vice presidential candidate this year, and we came pretty close."
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