Photo by: Brittany Wiser

Brittany Wiser, who graduated in June with honors, was crowned Miss Montana shortly after graduation and will be competing in the Miss America pageant in January.

Wiser majored in communication management and had a minor in chemistry and leadership. She was planning to start the next phase of her life this fall by attending medical school.

While looking for scholarship opportunities to help pay for medical school, Wiser came across the Miss America organization. With its strong emphasis on scholarship and service, she knew that with her graduating summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, and with distinction in her major, that she had the poise to compete.

“Like many young girls, I grew up watching the Miss America pageant on television and I definitely remember practicing my pageant walk and wave,” Wiser said. “Since pageants are not a huge deal in Montana, and since I had never been in a pageant before, I never thought that my dream of competing on the Miss America stage could become a reality.”

She credits DU’s Pioneer Leadership Program for giving her the confidence and the courage to become involved in challenging activities.  As part of her major, she spent a quarter in a media relations internship for Division I men’s hockey and men’s lacrosse teams. She also, was the arts and entertainment co-director at DU’s Programs Board, the vice president of Operations for DUPB, a Discoveries Orientation leader and intern, a campus tour guide, and worked on the annual 9NEWS Health Fair. She was also a member of the Student Health Advisory Council.

“I absolutely loved my time at DU,” Wiser said. “I knew that it was the school for me the moment I set foot on campus during a tour my senior year of high school. I really hope that I will be able to come back someday whether as a student, teacher, or administrator.”

As Miss Montana, Wiser will spend her year advocating two platforms. She will focus on the national philanthropy of the Miss America organization, Children’s Miracle Network and her personal platform, the Suicide Prevention Education.

Wiser volunteered at the Children’s Hospital in Denver while attending DU. “The other cause is also very important to me because I have known many people who have died by suicide.”

Wiser’s passion to pursue a career in medicine came from a trip she took to Dharamsala, India, on an International Service Learning trip while at DU. There, she taught English to a first-grade class and to a former -political prisoner from Tibet, visited the Taj Mahal, toured the Dalai Lama’s palace, and made lunch for the homeless at a Sikh temple in Delhi.

“Experiencing the poverty of a third-world country and witnessing widespread diseases like leprosy, polio, and tuberculosis firsthand confirmed my passion to help others as a medical doctor,” Wiser said. “I hope to return to India one day provide medical care to those in need.”

Next year after going through the application process, Wiser hopes to either go to the University of Colorado Medical School or the Stanford Medical School.

The Miss America pageant airs live on TLC on Jan. 30 from the Planet Hollywood Hotel in Las Vegas. Voters can also log onto TLC.com beforehand to vote their favorite girl into the Top 15.