Meet your new Miss USU: Regan Tracy

By Kate Stewart NEWS STAFF REPORTER

Utah State University student Regan Tracy was crowned Miss USU 2023 in the annual Miss USU pageant on April 11, held by the USU Student Alumni Association.

Tracy represented the College of Engineering as Miss Engineering and competed against 12 other contestants. Tracy is a junior at USU and originally from West Point, Utah.

“I realized that you know, life is short and you should do things that you want to do, and I’ve always wanted to do a pageant just once in my life because my mom was a pageant girl,” Tracy said.

In a text exchange with The Statesman, contestant Ally Moss, who won Miss People’s Choice, said, “Reagan was a light from day one, she made everyone so excited about everything. From dance practices, flming our intros, to backstage, she always made me feel wanted and excited. If the Miss USU contestants were a family, she’d be the Mama Bear.”

In her free time, Tracy said she loves to do anything related to the outdoors. She is an avid hiker, backpacker and reader, and she enjoys painting.

She is majoring in mechanical engineering with an aerospace emphasis and minoring in biomathematics and electrical engineering.

“I like to have the attitude of my grandfather who’s a lifelong learner,” Tracy said. “I just want to learn everything that I possibly can because it’s really cool to just see how our world works and then also just have a skill set, you know, a jack of all trades.”

Tracy said she felt encouraged to sign up for the Miss USU pageant because she thought it would be a great way to represent her college and talk about something she feels passionate about.

Her platform will encourage collaboration between different colleges on campus, as well as collaboration between the statewide campuses.

“I defnitely want to encourage club collaboration, especially within the College of Science and the College of Engineering, because just typically right now, what I see is everybody is kind of in their own little areas, and I think we could get so much more done if we just team up together,” Tracy said.

Tracy said she is hoping to bring a broader representation of STEM careers to all kids in Cache Valley, especially middle school students.

At the pageant, Emily Lundquist, Miss USU 2022, passed the crown to Tracy.

In a text exchange with The Statesman, Lundquist said, “If you know Regan, you know she is driven in everything that she does. She has a lot of passion for the platform she presented and worked really hard in preparing it. I am confdent that she will accomplish great things over the next year.”

Moss said, “She’s always ready to lift and love. She has a natural ability to listen and serve in powerful ways. She will thrive as Miss USU, truly we are in incredible hands with Reagan front and center.”

Tracy said she is very involved with the College of Engineering, but is looking forward to working with people from other departments.

“I’m really excited to work with people with all different backgrounds and experiences, and just to see a whole new side of the university that I haven’t seen before,” Tracy said.

Tracy said she enjoyed getting to know the contestants who participated in the pageant with her; her favorite part was the group camaraderie.

“I’m just so lucky that I got to branch out from my college and meet these girls who are part of the university and just get to know them, get to know their platforms and just truly become better friends,” Tracy said.

Tracy read an original poem for her talent portion of the pageant. She said she uses her poetry as a way to motivate others.

She has participated in USU’s PoBev events since she was a frst-year student.

According to Tracy, poetry has helped her step outside of her comfort zone in regards to public speaking.

“Nothing ever good came from a comfort zone — you don’t grow when you stay in your little circle,” Tracy said.