Lauren Stephens, who currently lives in Hayes, was crowned the 2024 National American Miss Virginia Queen at the state pageant held August 17-19 in Reston. She also received Best Spoken model Speech in which she spoke about overcoming her eating disorder of five years. Stephens will compete at the National Pageant held during Thanksgiving Week in Orlando, Florida. 
“I was so excited,” said Stephens. “There were so many girls at the pageant and they were all so amazing and so kind. To be chosen as the representative for the State was such an honor and something that I am ready to put the work in for. I want to do a good job representing all that Virginia has to offer and so I was of course excited but (I was) also like okay now its time to get to work and that is what I am doing.”
Stephens is a graduate of the University of Arkansas, where she graduated with her Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History. While attending the university, she earned the nationally competitive Gilman Scholarsh...