Her mother’s job of working with Alzheimer’s patients in an assisted living center made Quinn Shelt aware of the disease — how it affects not only people with Alzheimer’s but their families and caregivers.
“It really made an impression on me at a young age,” said Shelt, who wears the crown of Miss Augusta and wants to use her title to bring awareness to Alzheimer’s disease.
Shelt, a senior studying pre-law at the University of Georgia, participated in the University of Georgia pageant a few months back. She came in as fourth runner-up and won Miss Congeniality. A representative in the pageant system approached her about taking the title of her hometown to represent Augusta in the Miss Georgia pageant in June.
Shelt said it was her interview skills that got her recognized.
Shelt, a graduate of Grovetown High School, has long worked on her public speaking. While in high school, she took part in SkillsUSA, a program that helps students prepare for careers in the technical field, but Shelt was drawn to the public speaking aspect of the program. She said she was also part of the Boy Scouts of America’s Explorers program.
At Georgia, she’s been the Georgia Resiliency and Integrity Training Facilitator for the University Judiciary and been a member of Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Fraternity.
As part of the University Judiciary, she works to make sure students’ voices are heard and that they are fairly treated, she said.
She plans to graduate in May and take a gap year before she continues her studies. She aspires to become an appellate lawyer.
She’s also gearing up for the June Miss Georgia pageant, working on a lyrical dance for the talent portion of the program. She took dance at Pulse Dance Studio in Augusta for several years.
If she needs any pointers, she’s got a great resource to draw from. Karson Pennington, a fellow Georgia Bulldog and Lakeside High School graduate, is the reigning Miss Georgia.
“Her biggest advice is essentially, ‘Be prepared for the unexpected’ during the pageant. So many things come up,” she said.
Pennington has also told Shelt what to expect in fulfilling her role as Miss Augusta.
Shelt is already raising money for the Nov. 5 Walk to End Alzheimer’s in Augusta. She plans on being involved in other activities such as reading to schoolchildren or helping with charity events as they come up.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the managing editor of The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com
