Vancouver native crowned Miss Washington

A Vancouver native is on her way to the 2017 Miss America pageant.

Miss Clark County Alicia Cooper, a graduate of Skyview High School, was crowned Miss Washington on Saturday after competing for the title against pageant representatives from other regions in the state. The two-day competition took place Friday and Saturday in Burien.

Cooper, 21, is a student at Washington State University who plans to earn a bachelor’s degree in social science and a minor in psychology.

Her platform for the Miss Washington pageant was Live on Purpose: Defining Your Legacy. For the talent portion of the competition she tap-danced to the song “Let’s Get Loud.”

Cooper said she was driven to participate in the contest because of the opportunity for college scholarships. A variety of scholarships are awarded to contestants at the local, state and national levels.

“From the age of 17, I made the decision to fund my collegiate career on my own,” she wrote in her contest application. “Aside from the scholarship opportunities, I am extremely grateful for the skills that this program has taught me. I have become more passionate in my volunteerism, I am a more confident public speaker, and now I have the skills to land my dream job.”

Last year’s Miss America pageant winner went home with more than $50,000. The 2017 Miss America scholarship pageant is this September in Atlantic City, N.J.