Miss Mississippi Anne Elizabeth Buys says what she has enjoyed most since winning her title last June are the many opportunities she’s had to meet people from across the state.
“One thing I’ve learned is the people are so important to this state,” she said.
Buys met several Greenwood women Wednesday at the Delta Cotton Wives Annual Meeting & Luncheon, where Buys was the featured speaker.
Held at the home of member Margaret Allen, Miss Mississippi talked to the members about her journey to winning her title, her experience competing in the Miss America Pageant and shared “how I have grown as a person and through my faith and through the Miss America organization.”
The Vicksburg native said while she wasn’t an avid pageant participant growing up, she did have a fascination with the state competition, which is held in her hometown each year.
“I attended when I was 2 years old for the first time, and I haven’t missed one since,” she said. “Once I watched Miss Mississippi, I had a dream of being on that stage and becoming Miss Mississippi one day.”
She said she knew she wanted to be in that position where she could make a difference in people’s lives.
A dance student since the age of 3, Buys first found her way to the Miss Mississippi stage when she was 7.
“I had the opportunity to perform to be a junior dancer,” she said.
There was a Christmas theme that year.
“I was an elf, a reindeer and a snowball,” she said.
A few years later, she served as a Miss Mississippi Corp. Magnolia Princess to one of the contestants.
When the Miss America organization brought the Miss Outstanding Teen Pageant to the state, Buys realized she would not have to wait until she was 18 to compete on the stage in Vicksburg.
From ages 14 to 17, she was a contestant. Buys said during this time she learned a lot about “God’s timing.”
“A lot of people would say, ‘Four years is a long time. Why didn’t you just give up?’ But I learned so much about myself, my faith and God’s timing through those four years,” she said.
And her persistence paid off. At 17, she won the title of Miss Outstanding Teen.
She said the years she didn’t win helped her the most. “Those four years, I learned the importance of dedication and discipline,” she said.
After Buys graduated from high school, she began attending Mississippi State University. After establishing herself at school, she continued her journey to the Miss Mississippi Pageant.
In 2016, she competed for the state title for the first time. She placed as first runner-up.
“I was so shocked,” she said. “I was hoping for Top 10. ... I knew that if I could get that close that I could achieve my dream of becoming Miss Mississippi.”
Buys told the Delta Cotton Wives members that she learned a lot of things through her faith, which she values above all.
One of the things she learned the importance of — once more — was God’s timing, she said.
She quoted Proverbs 16:9 — “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.”
A few months later, Buys decided she would participate in the Miss MSU pageant. She was thinking, “I’ll represent my school, and it’s just going to be perfect. That’s my plan. That’s what was going to happen.”
It did not. She competed in Miss MSU and did not win.
She said she trusted God and His plan for her.
“What he had planned was far better,” she said. “I was able to be Miss Vicksburg and represent Vicksburg on the 60th anniversary of Miss Mississippi being in Vicksburg. I was able to represent my hometown, where I have grown to know the Lord, where it’s given me my education, all my friends, family. It was so special to be able to be in that position.”
Since then, Buys has had a whirlwind of a year, with various speaking engagements and appearances and competing in the Miss America Pageant, which she said was a wonderful experience.
While Buys did not place in the national competition, she felt good about her performance.
“It was so surreal to be able to be there and represent Mississippi,” she said. “There’s nothing like saying you are from Mississippi — the hospitality state, the state with open hearts and open arms.”
She said she’s happy to continue her reign as Miss Mississippi and having the opportunities to make a difference in her home state.
Buys is involved in a partnership with Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, where she visits with the patients at Batson Children’s Hospital every month.
“I can say they have done more for me than I can even hope or pray that I do for them,” she said. “I leave with a changed perspective on life every time I leave the doors of Batson hospital. They are facing life-threatening situations, and yet they are happy and they are thankful for their lives.”
She is also active in her personal platform, Water for Life, which provides clean drinking water to remote villages in India. Buys has been a part of providing six water wells through Water for Life since she was 13 years old.
Buys has presented a program called “Tar Wars” to fourth- and fifth-graders at about 20 schools throughout the state. The program, which is a partnership with the Mississippi Academy of Family Physicians, focuses on anti-tobacco awareness.
Her visit to the Delta Cotton Wives meeting is Buys’ second time in Greenwood.
“I love Greenwood,” she said.
In December, she attended the Roy Martin Delta Band Festival and Christmas Parade, where she was featured on the beauties float.
“This is the biggest Christmas parade I have ever been to in my entire life,” she said. “I loved how it was a whole community event, and everybody had their chairs lined up when we got here about four or five hours before it started. It’s a wonderful town.”
• Contact Ruthie Robison at 581-7233 or rrobison@gwcommonwealth.com.
