Savvy Shields is Miss America 2017, as well as Miss Arkansas 2016, and tonight, she will give up her crown to a new winner. Shields is a beautiful blonde and her official Instagram account is filled with gorgeous photos. Check out more facts about Shields and see her best photos from Instagram below.
When Shields was crowned Miss America, she was studying Fine Arts at the University of Arkansas. She also had a boyfriend at the time and posted a lot of photos of herself with her man on social media, writing captions like, “A special thank you needs to go to the greatest boyfriend in pageant history. He’s the real deal.” Her boyfriend’s name was Nate Wolf. The status of their relationship is unknown, as Shields has not posted photos with him recently on her Instagram account.
Shields hails from Fayetteville, Arkansas and was living with her family when she first entered the Miss America pageant. Her father Todd is a professor of Political Science at the University of Arkansas, according to Earn the Necklace. Shields’ mother is named Karen and she works for the Fayetteville Athletic club.
Her platform has been “Eat better, Live better” and she talked about her cause to 5 News, explaining:
Arkansas is now one of the most obese states in the country and it’s scary to think about that … I think sometimes healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle comes with negative connotations and scary connotations. So my thing in learning about this process, the only thing I need to learn is tactical and tangible ways to do so.
Shields said that healthy eating really helped her, especially in college.
When Shields won Miss America, she was given the crown by Miss Georgia Betty Cantrell, who was Miss America 2016. The first runner-up was Miss South Carolina Rachel Wyatt and the second runner-up was Miss New York Camille Sims.
Previously, Shields stated on CNN that she hopes to one day work in a museum and teach at a collegiate level. NJ.com reports that she also has dreams involving Beyonce. Shields once said:
I want to be a backup dancer for Beyonce. I feel like that’s every dancer’s secret dream is to be a backup dancer for Beyonce especially with her new tour.
When talking to E! News, Shields said that she hopes winning Miss America will not be the biggest moment in her life, explaining that:
I want to always feel like the best day of my life is going to keep happening. I don’t want to think that I’ve hit it. I want to keep expecting and knowing that better things are going to happen in my life.
Shields actually told FOX News that she blacked out when she won Miss America.
In an interview with 5 News, Shields talked about some of the issues that contestants face when competing in pageants. She revealed that:
In pageants it’s very difficult to not compare yourself to every other girl in front or behind of you. Pageant girls and women in general are always striving, or it’s tempting to be striving, for perfectionism. You have to realize that you are imperfect and you are enough.
While talking to FOX News, Shields reminded them about the benefits of participating in pageants like Miss America. Shields stated:
People forget and people don’t really know that [Miss America] is the largest scholarship organization in the world. I am still walking away with over $90K in scholarship that I haven’t even touched. I can graduate college debt-free and go for more education, not even having to worry about it. I’m not just speaking for myself, I’m speaking for every single contestant, national, state, and local title-holder that is a part of this organization.
She further explained:
You say the world ‘pageant,’ there’s a lot of connotations that come up of just having a crown and putting on lipstick. But that is .5% of my job when 99.5% of it is a year in service.
In addition to being Miss America, Shields also serves as the National Goodwill Ambassador for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.
According to Hollywood Life, Shields’ advice to this year’s Miss America contestants is:
It’s something to where I would say take a breath. It’s gonna be all right. Remember it, cherish it, because it seems a little daunting at first, but you get the hang of it.
There are 51 contestants this year.
Shields told FOX News that she doesn’t even remember being crowned as Miss America 2017. She dished:
I don’t remember at all! I’m pretty sure I blacked out… I fully didn’t remember until a month after I was crowned. It goes so fast and you do not stop so the moment you do stop it’s roughly when you’re on an airport a month later and you realize that you’re Miss America. But I remember that moment in pictures. I remember in visual frames of when I saw my mom at the end of the runway and then when I turn back around and saw my friends. And then I remember Miss Tennessee running towards me.
What is Shields going to be doing once she relinquishes her crown? Elite Daily reports her reply to this question as this:
When people ask ‘what’s your plan afterwards?’ or ‘what’s your goal?’ my answer is everything because I’ve seen and been exposed to so many charities, philanthropies, people that I’ve become emotionally invested in. And so it’s exciting to learn what I’ve done as Miss America and use it in my life.
Shields also talked about what this year’s contestants should really be focusing on. She explained:
I think the biggest thing, and it’s something my class tried really hard to reiterate, was recognizing that we’re not here to win the crown. That is something one girl will walk away with, but there’s 51 other women [who] are going to be there… You’re there with these girls. You’re soaking up every single moment. And the goal shouldn’t be walking away with the crown, but the goal should be walking away a better version of yourself than when you came.
Shields is looking forward to a “normal life” when she returns home to Arkansas.
