By Shavonne Potts
spotts@salisburypost.comCONCORD ó A former East Rowan High School student was crowned Miss Cabarrus County this weekend.
Salisbury’s Mallory Honeycutt, daughter of Stan and Rita Honeycutt, participated in the pageant Saturday at Mount Pleasant High School.
Judges also named Honeycutt Miss Congeniality and awarded her the top spot in the talent portion of the scholarship competition.
During the talent portion, Honeycutt sang “My Heart Will Go On,” a song featured in the movie “Titanic.”
Honeycutt, 20, is a student studying nursing at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and will receive a $1,000 scholarship as the winner of the pageant.
Mallory will go on to compete in the Miss North Carolina pageant in 2009.
“I don’t do any other pageants until that time, but I will be working in the community talking about my platform,” Honeycutt said.
During her reign as Miss Cabarrus County, Honeycutt will speak to groups about Project STEP, which stands for Supplementing and Teaching Exercise and Promoting Good Nutrition.
“A lot of my studies consist of promoting health and wellness. I hope I can encourage my area and state in fighting the obesity epidemic,” she said.
As a nursing student, Honeycutt has routine rotations in different areas of the hospital. She just completed a rotation in pediatrics at Brenner Children’s Hospital, which is part of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.
Honeycutt is now working at the maternity ward at the Women’s Hospital of Greensboro.
“I’ve enjoyed labor and delivery,” she said.
Honeycutt said her parents are proud of her and have encouraged her to continue her dream of singing and “advocate for what I believe in.”
Honeycutt has only been participating in pageants for a couple of years.
She first competed in the Miss Junior Civitan at East Rowan High and was selected first runnerup.
She later placed in the top 20 out of 100 young women in the National American Miss and was runnerup in the Miss Spencer/Rowan pageant in 2006.
In 2007, Honeycutt was named Miss Rowan County Veteran.
Honeycutt will participate in two upcoming parades ó the Nov. 22 Concord Christmas parade and Dec. 13 Kannapolis Christmas parade.