LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Miss Maine USA, Brooke Harris said she is not nervous but eager to make her home state proud when she competes for the Miss USA title on Sunday.
Harris is currently in Las Vegas, and has been since May 3, taking part in rehearsals for the pageant.
Originally from Lee, Harris graduated from the University of Maine at Fort Kent in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in nursing. She has a history of aiming high. As an honors nursing student at UMFK, Harris maintained a 3.4 cumulative grade point average.
She also was an Academic All-American athlete while at UMFK, where she played both soccer and basketball, and a seven-time state champion in athletics while attending Lee Academy.
When she is not working as a registered nurse in Portland or preparing for internationally televised beauty pageants, Harris volunteers with the non-profit organization Silent Sidekicks, which provides animal-assisted therapy, activities, and educational programs at health care facilities, hospitals, schools, and libraries.
Harris said she has met many outstanding women on the pageant scene, including during the Miss USA rehearsals.
“There is a misconception and stigma associated with pageantry that I’m proud to shatter. We are much more than what we look like and I’m proud to say amongst the class of 2017 we have nurses, a lawyer, a biochemist, a speech pathologist, artists, and young women pursuing higher education,” she said.
There will be no shortage of loved ones cheering for Harris in the audience at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.
Her parents, Randy and Patricia Harris, grandmother, two aunts, and several cousins will be attending the show, as will her boyfriend, and several friends including her UMFK nursing school classmates Nicole Ross and Elizabeth Gray.
Harris’ extensive support system also includes her cousin, UMFK Men’s Basketball Coach Tom Bird.
“Brooke and I grew up two minutes from each other so Brooke, my sister and I were always together doing things. She’s definitely the cousin I am closest to,” Bird said. “She’s so outgoing, she’s got a great personality and she’s really beautiful and intelligent. I’m really proud of her.”
Bird will be on a flight to Paris during the telecast but said he hopes to finagle a sky high opportunity to view the show.
“Hopefully the plane has TV channels or I may buy a Wi-Fi package so I can watch on my iPad while I’m on the flight,” he said.
Harris said she is thankful for all of the support she has received and proud to be representing Maine in the Miss USA pageant.
“I feel so overwhelmed with love and blessed to be so supported by my loved ones and my home state. I am so proud to represent our people, our strong and confident young women, and hope to make you all proud,” she said.
The Miss USA pageant will air on the FOX television network beginning at 8 p.m. on Sunday, May 14.
