Mitchell named Miss Alabama USA

“This is something I have worked very hard for and I feel very blessed and honored to have won this pageant,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell got her start in pageants at Russellville’s Sweetheart pageant when she was in the sixth grade.

“After I did that first pageant I just fell in love with the whole process,” Mitchell said. “I loved picking out dresses and things that were different. I also loved to compete and meet new people, which was my favorite part about the pageant this weekend.”

Mitchell continued her pageant career throughout high school where she competed in the Miss RHS pageant.

“Miss RHS was the first pageant I participated in where I had to do an interview,” she said. “It was a good experience because I was able to practice my interview, walking and stage skills in a more relaxed environment.”

After high school Mitchell planned to continue participating in pageants while she attended the University of Alabama and majored in elementary education.

However, those plans came to a halt when Mitchell was involved in a near fatal car accident while on her way home from Tuscaloosa in September of 2008.

“I was on a respirator for 12 days and in the hospital for 20,” Mitchell said. “I had to use a wheelchair for two months and for a while, we didn’t know if I would walk again.

“When I was able, I began therapy three days a week, and it took forever to gain back my muscle and strength that I had before.

“Besides the physical therapy, I also had over 30 scars that made me very self-conscious. It took me a while to finally overcome that self-consciousness, but I came to realize that it is a miracle that I have gotten to where I am today. I am very blessed.”

Madeline continued with her therapy and training and said that she owes much of her success to the support of family and friends.

“I don’t know what I would have done without so many people who were constantly telling me ‘You can do this,’ especially on the days where it really felt like I couldn’t,” she said. “My mom really encouraged me, and I just never gave up.

“I hope that by winning this pageant I can be an inspiration to people who have been in similar situations and help them realize that they can do whatever they set their minds to.”

As the new Miss Alabama USA, Mitchell said she will be involved with interviews and speaking engagements in addition to many hours spent training and preparing for the Miss USA pageant that will be held this spring in Las Vegas.

“I’m very excited about all the different activities in the months to come,” Mitchell said. “I’ll be working with [executive director of Miss Alabama USA] Dohn Dye, and this is his first year. Miss Alabama USA hasn’t won the Miss USA pageant since 1967 so hopefully we can work together to bring home the crown.”

Mitchell said that if she does win the title of Miss USA, she wants to work with the Children’s Miracle Network in Birmingham.

“Being an elementary education major, children are important to me, and I just want to be a good role model,” Mitchell said. “I want them to know that they can succeed at whatever they put their minds to and that they should never giver up, even if they face adversity.”

Above winning this most recent title, Mitchell said that pageants have been a positive experience for her and something she has learned many lessons from.

“Being in pageants has inspired me to be more confident in myself and who I am,” Mitchell said. “That’s probably the most positive thing I’ve learned is just to always be myself and it will pay off in the end.”