(Left) Stephanie Sharp speaks with a reporter after being named Miss Wheelchair Kentucky 2004 in Louisville. (Right) Sharp is congratulated by other participants in the pageant. Photos by Leslie Clark.

Stephanie Sharp crowned Miss Wheelchair Kentucky

The Murray State News

Articulate, determined, dependable, trustworthy and compassionate. Senior public relations major, Stephanie Sharp of Owensboro, said these five words best describe her character and attitude toward living life in a wheelchair.

A panel of judges agreed with Sharp Feb. 28, crowning her the winner of the Miss Wheelchair Kentucky 2004 Pageant.

The pageant, held in a ballroom at Jewish Hospital in Louisville, drew a crowd of more than 600 who witnessed this year's competition.

Five young women from across the state, each with a history of overcoming hardships, took part in the event. Sharp said she was happy to have been able to meet other women who have had to face some of the same challenges she has.

"I thought everyone involved was very intelligent and articulate," Sharp said. "They showed me I am capable of doing anything I put my mind to."

Her mother, Alicia Sharp, said she agreed the event was a rewarding experience for all who had the opportunity to attend it.

"The other (contestants) were all extraordinary young women," she said. "They were all very special young ladies."

As Miss Wheelchair Kentucky, Sharp will spend the next year speaking for the rights of people with disabilities. Sharp's plan calls for community activities for children with special needs that will encourage then to use their strengths and talents.

She also hopes to involve others from local communities to help create a greater understanding and acceptance of the rights of the disabled.

Sharp was only given a 50 percent chance of survival when she was born three months premature. At birth she weighed only two and a half pounds and was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. But she hasn't let the fact she is in a wheelchair rule her life.

"We're still people like everybody else at heart," Sharp said.

She has been very active in the Murray State community the past two years. She is currently the vice president of the MSU chapter of Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) and a member of several honor societies.

A May graduate, she wants to become a lobbyist in Washington, D.C., for the rights of the disabled.

"She really tries to be as independent as she can," her mother said. "She has done very well."

This is the third consecutive year a Murray State student has won this title. Last year's winner, Melissa (Missy) Jenkins, had the role of crowning Sharp at this year's ceremony.

Sharp said she has known Jenkins since she arrived at Murray and the two have built a strong bond. Alicia Sharp said she thought much of her daughter's success is because of Jenkins and others she has met at Murray State.

Sharp will travel to Richmond, Va., this summer for the Miss Wheelchair America competition. She will face nearly 30 other contestants for the title.

The JMC Journal is produced by the Dept. of Journalism and Mass Communications, Murray State University, Murray, Kentucky