News Release
Contact
Laurie E. Bick-Jensen
Director,
Public Relations
320 DuPont Highway
New Castle, DE
19720
(302) 295-1164
laurie.e.bick@wilmu.edu
Wilmington University Grad Student a Pageant Winner
Newark woman one of 4 Wildcats to win titles for beauty, poise and community service
Crystal Rush, a graduate student at Wilmington University, has won the title of Miss Delaware International 2013.
Crystal earned her undergraduate degree at Wilmington University in organizational management and is now working toward her Master’s in Business Administration. She is also an intern with Autism Delaware.
Crystal, 25, will represent Delaware in the organization’s national competition in July in Illinois. The Miss International pageant system, according to its website, bills itself as a way to promote today's young women and their accomplishments and to expose its audience to cultures and customs around the world. Women between the ages of 19 and 29 are eligible to enter the competition.
"Competing and winning Miss Delaware International is a true honor,” said Crystal, who lives in Newark, Delaware. “I can't wait to see what the year has in store for me.”
A former professor of Crystal's, Hugh T. Broomall, called Crystal an "outstanding person."
"Crystal displayed a quest for knowledge and excelled at teamwork," said Broomall. "Crystal was a pleasure to have in class and it is no surprise to me that she won the Delaware International pageant."
Miss Delaware International was Crystal’s first foray into the pageant world. She says she wanted to participate “so I could really make a difference in my community and spend time traveling and meeting new people.”
One of her community efforts is helping homeless teens. Crystal is organizing a “Teens for Jeans” drive through Feb. 10 in which she is asking for people to donate their gently used jeans to a dropoff location to be determined soon. Interested donors can email her at missdeintl2013@gmail.com.
“Crystal is an exemplary student who has always been compassionate about helping people. She’s taken this passion to another level with her participation in the Miss Delaware International pageant, and I’m immensely proud of her,” said Stephanie Battis, an internship coordinator at the University and associate professor in the College of Business who taught Crystal as an undergraduate.
Crystal is one of four Delaware pageant winners who are connected to the University. Christine Rich, a mother of a 2-year-old who is working toward her Master’s Degree in Elementary Education, was crowned Mrs. Delaware 2013 in November. Melanie Haynes, who graduated in 2012 with a degree in Behavioral Science, earned the National Miss 2012 title in August. And last March, Anna Ornelas, also a Behavioral Science major, became Miss Delaware Latina 2012. It was the first ever Miss Delaware Latina title and the first time Delaware has been represented in a National Miss Latina USA pageant.
About Wilmington University
Wilmington University is a private, nonprofit university committed to offering flexible and career-oriented undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs while maintaining small class sizes, individualized attention and affordable tuition. For more information, contact Wilmington University at 302-356-INFO (4636) or toll free 877-967-5464, via email at infocenter@wilmu.edu or visit our website at www.wilmu.edu.
###
