Vancouver women compete for Miss Washington

Miss Clark County Annie Straight and Miss Greater Vancouver Gloria Boieriu are competing at the Miss Washington pageant, which culminates Saturday at the Skookum Creek Event Center in Shelton.

Winners will receive $45,000 for their undergraduate and graduate studies, according to the Miss Washington Scholarship Organization.

Straight and Boieriu are among 24 women who are vying for the state’s crown. The winner will be eligible for the Miss America pageant, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this fall.

Jazz-dancing Vancouver resident Straight is a Clark College and Portland State University pre-law student who is the youngest employee at her personal injury firm. The Fort Vancouver High School graduate is an ambassador for Shared Hope International, a global organization dedicated to ending human trafficking. She intends to pursue a career in law.

The bilingual Boieriu speaks fluent Romanian and works as a leasing agent when not writing and performing vocal music. A Vancouver native and former Clark College student who now lives in Seattle, she founded Give Kids the Pencil: Empowering Students for the Future, a group that provides students with school supplies. She intends to get her Realtor’s license and pursue a career in education.

The current Miss Washington, Abbie Kondel, is a former Vancouver resident who is now a student at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.

Tickets to attend the competition in Shelton are available at misswashington.org.