Athens native Kate Preston was recently chosen as the 2023 Miss Auburn. Among the many responsibilities that come with being selected as Miss Auburn, Preston will serve as the Official Hostess of Auburn University. Preston is a 2020 graduate of Athens High School and the daughter of Coogan and Heidi Preston.

The News Courier spoke to Preston to learn a little more about her activities at Auburn. She also explained the process of being chosen as Miss Auburn and the responsibilities that come with the title.

How excited are you to be named Miss Auburn?

I am beyond excited to be named with Auburn. By the end of last week, I was honestly very at peace with however the results turned out. I know that the Lord would be able to work in my life if I got to use this platform or not, which brought me a lot of peace about the results, but I am so eager to get to serve in this capacity and give back to a place that has become my home and means so much to me.

What was the process for being considered and requirements for being a candidate?

Any organization can nominate you, and my Panhellenic sorority (Chi Omega) nominated me last November. After that, you apply by filling out an application that asks more typical questions as well as running on a platform that you create on change you want to see on Auburn’s campus. After that there are two rounds of interviews where various panels choose 5 candidates to run. Some of the requirements are that you are a Junior full time student that has completed a certain amount of credit hours.

How did you campaign for Miss Auburn and how were you selected as the winner?

Over Christmas break I was able to have a team of other friends and students help me plan and prepare how to best campaign. This looked like having people who are so talented on social media, to being on the Concourse and sharing about my platform, and reaching out to various on campus organizations and other Greek life institutions to come and share my platform.

What responsibilities come with being Miss Auburn and what do you hope to accomplish?

Miss Auburn is “The Official Hostess of Auburn University.” Some responsibilities include serving as an ambassador and host of the University, and representing the values and ideals of Auburn in an honorable manner. Miss Auburn also gets to enact change through her platform. My platform is centered around the Idea of Unifying different people on Auburn’s campus that are involved in different organizations, that have different interests and passions, as well as unifying different generations that are a part of the Auburn Family. My goal is to increase connections and collaboration to enhance the student experience and better prepare students for life after Auburn.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I am studying Chemical Engineering at Auburn University on a pre health track, so I tend to spend a lot of time studying! I have made such sweet friends through the College of Engineering. I am a member of Chi Omega and am so thankful to be surrounded by people who are so encouraging and push me to be the best version of myself, while also loving me at my lows. I am a member of Grace Auburn and get to serve in the kids department. I am a member of Onward Campus Ministry, and this is probably been on of my biggest college blessings. I live in a house with eight girls, which is the most fun, and there is always something going on, as you can imagine. I love going on walks, and getting coffee, and my current go to Netflix show is “New Girl,” all my roommates and I love it. I even got my mom to watch it over break with me.

Are there any people you would like to thank or mention?

I don’t think that I can say thank you enough. Something I have been thinking of recently is that “thank you” does not do justice to the amount of gratitude I feel towards people who poured into me so much and dedicated so much time and effort into this entire process. Thank you to the Lord for entrusting me with this responsibility and giving me this opportunity to get to meet so many new people and deepen so many friendships. Thank you to so much of my campaign team that put in countless hours into helping prepare. Thank you to roommates and friends who are so encouraging and uplifting, and who have the ability to turn everything into a fun memory. Thank you to my family for always being in my corner. I could literally go on and on, I’m still trying to figure out the best way to say “thank you.”