Megan Magri was crowned the 61st Miss Southeastern Louisiana University on Thursday night, claiming the honor of representing the green and gold over the next year.

The 2022 scholarship competition saw a change in venue from the usual Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts due to damage from Hurricane Ida. Instead, Campus Activities Board and production team transformed the Student Union Ballroom into a scene fit for queens. 

“I really loved having it on campus. Southeastern has provided a fostering and loving environment, so there is no other place I would rather be crowned at,” Magri expressed.

The crowning moment was followed by flurries of flashes as family and friends showered the new titleholder with photos and congratulations.

“It is a whirlwind of emotions. It doesn’t even feel real right now,” Magri said.

Magri, a junior kinesiology major, won the Red Carpet award in addition to the crown, scoring the highest for composure, confidence and command of the stage in her formal wear.

She also received the talent award for her dance performance in the talent portion of the competition. 

“I have danced for 18 years. It’s the way I express myself. Whenever my father was deployed, it was one of my coping mechanisms. If I wasn’t able to dance around that time, I don’t know what type of place I would be in,” she shared.

Magri expressed her gratitude to one person in particular for helping her get to the position she is in now.

She said, “I would thank my lord and savior, God. It was placed on my heart by him that it’s my time and to never give up, and that’s exactly what I did. I didn’t give up.”

Lily Gayle, Miss Southeastern 2021, said her goodbyes to the title and passed the crown to Magri. 

“It felt so marvelous to be able to pass on the crown tonight knowing that I had a stage full of capable and empowered women to pass it onto,” Gayle said. 

Magri was crowned Miss Pride of Twin Cities in early 2021. Gayle and Magri competed alongside each other in the Miss Southeastern 2021 and Miss Louisiana 2021 competitions. 

“Being able to see where Megan Magri came from to now – being able to see where I came from, back whenever I competed for the first time to now – it is amazing to be able to see someone else live out that dream. I am so proud of every single candidate that competed tonight,” Gayle said.

As the outgoing queen, Gayle provided parting words of wisdom to the newly crowned Miss Southeastern 2022.

She said, “There’s going to be a lot of things that you do that might be a little embarrassing sometimes, but at the same time, embrace it. The moment that I crowned you, please – that is the only thing that I will ever request or even demand as an outgoing queen. Soak it all in. Take in the moment, and don’t be embarrassed to do things that are a little goofy.”