30 Jun 2022 Crowning achievement

By Carol Rolf

Ebony Mitchell, 25, was crowned the 84th Miss Arkansas on June 18 at the Robinson Center in Little Rock. The Harrison native competed alongside 44 candidates, and the win fulfilled a childhood dream.

“I feel amazing … incredible … just everything,” said Mitchell, just a few hours after winning the crown. “It’s a dream come true.”

Each candidate has a social impact initiative, and the message that Mitchell has worked to share is A Responsible Digital You. The beauty’s efforts to keep Arkansas youth safe online is a cause that she cares deeply about.

Mitchell started her first Facebook account when she was 13.

“I was not a responsible poster … not at all,” she said, smiling. “I gave my age, address … all the things you are not supposed to post. I’ve had several embarrassing moments come back to me. That information can never be erased.”

Mitchell had a young friend who was a victim of internet stalking.

“It was horrible,” she said. “I began to know then that I wanted to do something that focused on online safety awareness … something I could use to make a difference. It can and does happen anywhere, not just in New York City or Chicago. It can happen in your hometown.”

Mitchell has developed a social impact initiative concerning online safety awareness for elementary school children, which she has shared for the past several years as a contestant in the Miss Arkansas Scholarship Pageant. She has sought and found partners to help spread her message.

Mitchell, who participated in this year’s pageant as Miss Dogwood 2022, reached out to the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office seeking a partnership to help promote her platform, A Responsible Digital You.

“I was Miss Metro 2021 then,” said Mitchell, who was first runner-up in last year’s pageant. “I saw that Attorney General Leslie Rutledge was interested in protecting children from online predators and set up a meeting with her office.

“We talked about what we could do together,” Mitchell recalled. “Her office provides me with all of the materials I send out, which includes coloring books, workbooks, and stickers. As a titleholder, I agreed to work with her office. during and even beyond my years as a titleholder.”

According to Rutledge, “Ebony is a fantastic example of the next generation of leaders in Arkansas.

“With a shared goal of educating Arkansas’s children about being safe online, Ebony has dispersed over 2,500 of the office’s Internet Safety booklets to schools across the state,” Rutledge said. “Internet safety is an important topic to discuss with children of all ages, and we thank Ebony for teaming up with our office in this endeavor.”

Working with the Attorney General’s Office, Mitchell has distributed safety training packets to elementary school students in all 75 counties in Arkansas. She has also presented materials to civic clubs, school organizations, and even to parents.

“I do some in-person presentations, but since the pandemic it’s been mostly virtual,” Mitchell said. “I do like to go into schools and see the kids. It’s really been fun. They are receptive to what I want to say.”

In April, Mitchell spoke at the annual conference for the Arkansas Association of Instructional Media about online safety, and she will be part of a panel discussion on social media and internet safety at the Arkansas Department of Education Division of Elementary and Secondary Education 2022 Summit on July 12 in Hot Springs. She also has been a part of the Arkansas Department of Education podcast, SMACtalk (Social Media Awareness Campaign) for teachers. 

Additionally, Mitchell has collaborated with the Attorney General’s Special Investigations Division Cyber Crimes Unit.

Mitchell graduated in December 2019 from the University of Central Arkansas with a degree in business and marketing and from John Brown University in May with a Master of Business Administration with an emphasis on health administration. She now lives in Conway and works in the marketing department at Conway Regional Health System.

“My dream is to be an administrator of a nonprofit hospital,” she said.

Mitchell’s participation in the Miss Arkansas Pageant system began when she was a young girl, participating in the Miss Arkansas Diamond State Princess/Prince Program. She competed in the Miss Arkansas Outstanding Teen pageant for a few years and then began participating in the Miss Arkansas Pageant when she was a sophomore in college.

Besides the glittering crown, sash and lifetime honor, Mitchell won a ^$30,000 scholarship and more than ^$75,000 in awards, wardrobe, transportation and gifts. As Miss Arkansas, she will compete at the Miss America 2023 pageant in Uncasville, Conn. in December.

“I have met so many people during these last several years,” Mitchell said. “These pageants have led me to some great partnerships.”