Alissa Morrison was crowned as Miss Iowa USA 2016 on October 11, 2015 in Newton. The eyes of pageant enthusiasts are now set on Alissa who will be Iowa at Miss USA 2016, the pageant scheduled to be held in July 2016 in United States, where she hopes to be crowned by the reigning Miss USA Olivia Jordan from Oklahoma. Morrison succeeds Miss Iowa USA 2015 Taylor Even.
Alissa is a renowned personality to pageant fanatics! Formerly, she was crowned as the first runner-up at Miss Iowa USA 2015. She has consistently improved her performance within the past five years after being a top 15 finalist during two years to second runner-up in 2014, and finally first runner-up last year. This is what we call perseverance, resolution and vision!
Her dream of being Miss Iowa USA has evolved over the years, from deciding on a caprice to compete when she was 20, to the fervor that, with endeavor, heart, zeal, and conviction she has everything that it takes to be Miss Iowa USA. She believes: “One day I will be able to make an impact on the world by being involved in the Miss Universe Organization.”
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If there is an aphorism that describes her best it is, “To succeed you can’t be afraid of failure.” It was a lesson the 24 years old diva learned early in life from her parents, but was armored as she competed the past five years for the title of Miss Iowa USA. She reveals: “I first competed in the pageant in 2011, competing for the 2012 title. I did it on a whim after friends convinced me to give it a try. I made the top 15.” She tried again in 2012 and 2013. “Each year I got better, and by my third year of competing, I realized the title was something I wanted and needed to do for myself. Quitting was never an option.”
Even though she graduated from St. Ambrose University in 2013 with a degree in business management and marketing, Alissa Morrison said she was going to compete until she got the title or until she was told she could no longer compete. Nevertheless, this year, her hard work and enthusiasm paid off. She opines: “It has become such a passion. I’ve been putting off my career because I had this goal in mind. Not winning those other years fueled me to try even harder. It’s the greatest investment I’ve ever made in myself outside of college. It’s helped me improve my people skills and interview skills. It’s helped me with my self-confidence. People have this negative connotation of a beauty pageant. It’s not that at all. It’s a sport to me, and it involves a lot of hard work.”
Morrison believes it is inspiring to be around other women, “who are trying to achieve the same thing and have the same passion. We really support one another. My best friends come for the Miss USA Pageant.”
Eventually, Morrison wants to be an entrepreneur, opening a women’s boutique, and developing her own lifestyle brand. “I have these big dreams,” she said. “I’m not afraid of failure. I can’t understand people who are afraid of what they may accomplish.”
With scholarship money from the pageant, she may choose to return to school. Until then, she will be traveling and representing Iowa at Miss USA 2016. She expresses: “I grew up with parents who told me I could be anything I wanted to be. I’m making that happen.”
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Having won Miss Photogenic title at Miss Iowa this year, Alissa is expected to grace splendidly at Miss USA platform in the coming edition. While Iowa has not been significantly successful in the past four decades, they were one of the most consistent states in the first decade of the pageant’s existence. The second Miss USA to win the Miss Universe Crown was Carol Morris of Iowa in 1956. Will Alissa create a new history for Iowa?