Bellevue resident will crown her successor today
There is more beyond the sparkling tiara worn by Ada Rose Williams, Miss Emerald City 2008, whose last appearance will be today as she crowns the 2009 winner.
Williams grew up in Clyde Hill and attended Bellevue High and then the UW. With “The Wizard of Oz” being one of her favorite childhood movies, she was excited to represent Seattle and the Greater Eastside in her own “Emerald City” when she won the title in September 2007.
Williams spent the past year as a spokesperson for the Seattle Scholarship Program, which is affiliated with Miss Washington and the national organization, Miss America. She said that one challenge she faced was when people had preconceived notions on what they thought the program was about.
“They see I have a crown and they don’t know what it means,” said Williams. “They hear ‘Miss America’ and they just think it is a beauty pageant. It’s a scholarship pageant.”
Graduating from the UW in architecture studies in 2006, Williams is now pursuing a master’s degree at the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture in Scottsdale, Ariz.
“I am showing them I am not just a beauty queen – I am going to school for a better future,” she said.
Williams hopes to one day start her own licensed architecture firm that will design sustainable houses and buildings. She tied her passion for architecture and her determination for children to live in a cleaner environment into her platform for the pageant.
Having grown up in Washington, Williams said she was lucky to always be surrounded by evergreen trees, water and areas to go out and be active.
“Children now are becoming out of touch [with their surroundings] and it’s hard to understand why you want to preserve it if you are not already a part of it.”
Williams has visited Bellevue schools and other groups such as Girl Scouts, to raise awareness on living in an environmentally friendly way. She has also spoken at many community events sponsored by groups such as the Seattle Humane Society and the Bellevue Boys and Girls Club.
“I want to own my own architecture firm, but I am never going to give up educating children on the environment,” she said.
With her year of duties coming to a close, Williams said she is sad but excited to mentor the new women in the program.
Kristin Okinaka is a student in the University of Washington Department of Communication News Laboratory.
