Nichole Renee Mead Zahner (born March 23, 1988) is an American
beauty pageant
A beauty pageant is a competition that has traditionally focused on judging and ranking the physical attributes of the contestants. Pageants have now evolved to include inner beauty, with criteria covering judging of personality, intelligence, ...
titleholder from
Newport, Oregon
Newport is a city in Lincoln County, Oregon, United States. It was incorporated in 1882, though the name dates back to the establishment of a post office in 1868. Newport was named for Newport, Rhode Island. As of the 2010 census, the city had ...
. She was crowned
Miss Oregon
The Miss Oregon competition is a regional scholarship competition and Beauty contest, beauty pageant that selects the representative for the US state of Oregon in the Miss America pageant. The annual event includes contestants from across the st ...
2012 after pageant officials discovered that the original winner did not meet state residency requirements. Mead competed at the
Miss America 2013
Miss America 2013, the 86th Miss America pageant, was held at the PH Live at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada on Saturday, January 12, 2013.
Results
Placements
* - America's Choice
** - Saved b ...
pageant in January 2013 but was not a semi-finalist for the national title.
Pageant career
Early pageants
In 2006, Mead won the Miss Lincoln County 2006 title.
She was one of 24 qualifiers for the 2006
Miss Oregon
The Miss Oregon competition is a regional scholarship competition and Beauty contest, beauty pageant that selects the representative for the US state of Oregon in the Miss America pageant. The annual event includes contestants from across the st ...
pageant and performed a lyrical dance routine to the
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948), is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 21 musicals, ...
song "
The Phantom of the Opera
''The Phantom of the Opera'' (french: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra) is a novel by French author Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serial in from 23 September 1909 to 8 January 1910, and was released in volume form in late March 1910 by Pierr ...
" from the
musical of the same name in the talent portion of the competition.
She was not a Top-10 semi-finalist for the state title.
In 2007, Mead did not win a qualifying local pageant title and so did not participate in the 2007 Miss Oregon pageant.
On April 5, 2008, Mead won the Miss Lane County 2008 title and earned $4,000 in scholarship money and other prizes.
She competed in the 2008 Miss Oregon pageant with the platform "Promoting Awareness of the Dangers Caused by Drinking and Driving" and a lyrical dance performance to the
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...
song "
Hurt" in the talent portion of the competition.
She was named a Top-10 semi-finalist for the state title and earned a $1,000 scholarship prize.
Mead did not participate in the 2009 Miss Oregon pageant.
On March 20, 2010, Mead won the Miss University of Oregon 2010 title.
She competed in the 2010 Miss Oregon pageant with the platform "Raising Awareness of the Dangers Caused by Drinking and Driving" and a lyrical jazz dance performance in the talent portion of the competition.
She was named a Top-10 semi-finalist for the state title.
On April 30, 2011, Mead won the Miss Marion-Polk County 2011 title.
As one of 22 qualifiers, Mead competed in the 2011 Miss Oregon pageant with the platform "Operation Yellow Ribbon" and a dance performance in the talent portion of the competition.
She was named first runner-up to winner
Caroline McGowan.
Miss Oregon 2012
On April 21, 2012, Mead was crowned Miss Three Rivers 2012.
She entered the
Miss Oregon
The Miss Oregon competition is a regional scholarship competition and Beauty contest, beauty pageant that selects the representative for the US state of Oregon in the Miss America pageant. The annual event includes contestants from across the st ...
pageant in June 2012 as one of 23 qualifiers for the state title.
Mead's competition talent was a dance performance. Her platform was "Operation Yellow Ribbon".
Mead was named first runner-up at the competition on Saturday, June 30, 2012, as Rachel Berry received the crown.
However, shortly after her win, questions were raised as to whether Berry met the residency requirement for the Miss Oregon pageant system.
State rules required that Berry be a resident of Oregon for at least six months before entering any local pageant but she was unable to provide state pageant officials with this proof of residency.
Berry stepped down as Miss Oregon on July 19, 2012, and returned $11,400 in scholarship prizes.
On July 25, 2012, pageant officials announced that former first runner-up Mead would take the crown and serve as the new Miss Oregon 2012.
After receiving her crown, Mead was presented more than $10,000 in scholarship money and other prizes from the state pageant.
As Miss Oregon, her activities included public appearances across the state of Oregon.
Mead's reign lasted until June 29, 2013, when she crowned her successor, Allison Cook, Miss Oregon 2013.
Vying for Miss America
Mead was Oregon's representative at the
Miss America 2013
Miss America 2013, the 86th Miss America pageant, was held at the PH Live at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada on Saturday, January 12, 2013.
Results
Placements
* - America's Choice
** - Saved b ...
pageant in
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
, in January 2013.
She was not chosen as a Top 16 Semi-Finalist and earned a $3,000 scholarship prize as a non-finalist.
Personal life and education
Mead was raised in
Newport, Oregon
Newport is a city in Lincoln County, Oregon, United States. It was incorporated in 1882, though the name dates back to the establishment of a post office in 1868. Newport was named for Newport, Rhode Island. As of the 2010 census, the city had ...
, and she is a 2006 graduate of
Newport High School.
From 2006 to 2007, she attended
Portland Community College
Portland Community College (PCC) is a public community college in Portland, Oregon. It is the largest post-secondary institution in the state and serves residents in the five-county area of Multnomah, Washington, Yamhill, Clackamas, and Colu ...
, and from 2007 to 2008 she attended
Lane Community College
Lane Community College is a public community college in Eugene, Oregon, with additional facilities in downtown Eugene, Florence, Cottage Grove, and the Lane Aviation Academy at Eugene Airport. Lane serves more than 26,000 credit and non-credit ...
.
Mead is a 2011 graduate of the
University of Oregon
The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...
where she earned a bachelor's degree in psychology with a minor in communication studies.
On May 24, 2015, she married Adam Zahner.
, she is a marketing liaison with the Finley Davis Financial Group in
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.
As of the 2020 United States Census, Eu ...
, and the co-executive director of the Miss Oregon Scholarship Program.
References
External links
*
Miss Oregon official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mead, Nichole
Living people
1988 births
American beauty pageant winners
Miss America 2013 delegates
Miss Oregon winners
People from Newport, Oregon
University of Oregon alumni
Portland Community College alumni
Lane Community College alumni