Dobelle One of Seven Judges to Select Miss America 2003

UH Alum Angela Perez Baraquio, Miss America 2001, Applauds Selection of Dobelle

University of Hawaiʻi President Evan Dobelle has been selected by the Miss America Organization to be one of seven judges for the selection of Miss America 2003, the Miss America Organization announced today.

Miss America 2001, Angela Perez Baraquio, a graduate of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, congratulated the president on his selection.

"As a UH alumnus and former teacher who represented Hawai‘i on a national level, I am hopeful that President Dobelle‘s participation in the week long pageant will bring greater pride and national recognition to Hawaiʻi‘s higher education system," Baraquio said.

As one of the judges, Dobelle will decide — from the preliminaries to the final night of competition — which of the 51 contestants will be crowned Miss America 2003.

"The Miss America pageant is a great American institution. I am honored to have been selected as a judge," said Dobelle. "The pageant offers young women an opportunity to come together, showcase their talents, and bring attention to a social issue they feel passionate about."

Dobelle who met recently with Baraquio to discuss the pageant said, "Angela has done a superb job of representing the state of Hawaiʻi to the rest of the country and the world. I applaud her efforts to increase awareness of the importance of character education in our schools and valuing teachers. She is an accomplished woman of whom the University of Hawaiʻi and the entire state can be proud."

Dobelle will take personal vacation time to participate in the pageant; the preliminary competitions begin on Tuesday, September 17. The final night of competition on Saturday, September 21 will be telecast live from Atlantic City on ABC.

The Miss America Organization is a not-for-profit organization that has maintained a tradition for many decades of empowering American women to achieve their personal and professional goals, while providing a forum for them to express their opinions, talents, and intelligence. For more information about the organization or the Miss America scholarship pageant, visit www.missamerica.org.