Calhoun Hosts Scholarship Pageant at the Alabama Center for the Arts
Calhoun Community College is excited to announce the winners of the Miss Calhoun Community College and Miss Tennessee River’s Teen scholarship competitions. Both events were held on Saturday, September 27, at the Alabama Center for the Arts in downtown Decatur. The pageants serve as preliminaries for the state-level competitions, Miss Alabama & Miss Alabama’s Teen.
The scholarship program is designed to help young women build confidence, develop leadership skills, engage in community service, and showcase their talents. The program also fosters a sense of sisterhood, helping participants forge lifelong bonds and meaningful friendships.
Calhoun Community College students, Aris Martinez, 19, from Ardmore, KeAnna Loftin, 19 of Harvest, and Morgan Wolfe, 18, of Madison competed for the Miss title.
This year’s Teen delegates were Morgan Bartlett, 17, of Cullman, Anna Beth Bratcher, 14, of Dothan, Meri Kayte Flynn, 17, of Addison, and Kylie Peterson, 17, of Huntsville.
After a highly competitive program, the winners were announced as follows:
• Miss Calhoun Community College 2026: KeAnna Loftin – 4.0 GPA, Presidential Honors Scholar, President of Warhawk Ambassadors, and Computer Science Major. (Awarded a $250 cash scholarship toward academic expenses and an in-kind academic scholarship to attend Calhoun Community College valued at approximately $5000.00)
• 1st Runner Up to Miss Calhoun Community College: Morgan Wolfe – 4.0 GPA, Criminal Justice Major. (Awarded a $100 cash scholarship toward academic expenses)
• Talent Winner: KeAnna Loftin (Awarded a $50 cash scholarship toward academic expenses)
For the Teen division:
• Miss Tennessee River’s Teen 2026: Meri Kayte Flynn – 4.37 GPA Honors Student, senior class president, Alabama Girls State delegate, University of Alabama Early College, University of Alabama Capstone Leadership Academy. (Awarded a $250 cash scholarship toward academic expenses and an in-kind academic scholarship to attend Calhoun Community College valued at approximately $5000.00).
• 1st Runner Up to Miss Tennessee River’s Teen: Kylie Layne Peterson – Four-Year Honor Roll Student, Six-Time AHSAA State Cheerleading Champion, Two-Time UCA National High School Cheer Champion, Four-Time UCA All-American Cheerleader, Two-Year National Honor Society, and Two-Year High School Ambassador. (Awarded a $100 cash scholarship toward academic expenses).
• Talent Winner: Meri Kayte Flynn (Awarded a $50 cash scholarship toward academic expenses)
“This pageant provides an opportunity to showcase the incredible talents and leadership potential of these young women,” commented Dr. Jimmy Hodges, Calhoun Community College President.
“The Miss Calhoun Community College Scholarship program offers a transformative experience for students,” said Dr. April Nunn, Calhoun Speech Instructor and Director of the Pageant Program. “Our goal is to empower these young women by offering programming to further enhance their talents, leadership potential, and community engagement experiences, while providing financial support to help them achieve their educational goals,” added Nunn.
The winner of Miss Calhoun Community College 2026 will advance to the Miss Alabama competition in June 2026, while the winner of Miss Tennessee River’s Teen 2026 will compete at the Miss Alabama Teen Competition in March 2026.
