Miss Mississippi Holly Brand returned to Meridian this weekend for a homecoming celebration.

Brand was honored with a downtown parade on Saturday followed by a reception at The MAX. A former Miss Mississippi’s Outstanding Teen, Brand will represent Mississippi at the Miss America Competition in December.

The community welcomed Brand with open arms, proven by their thoughts on how she’s  representing the Magnolia State.

“Who would not want to follow in the footsteps of a beautiful woman?” said Carol Merrill, a well-known local dance teacher. “She’s beautiful, so I would think that she would promote everybody she’s in touch with to be a part of her platform.”

Brand’s social impact initiative focuses on volunteerism and operates under the slogan ‘If you see any need, take the lead’.

Her marketing plan correlates with the four points of the crown – service, style, scholarship, and success. This was something she got to discuss with the judges at the Miss Mississippi Pageant in Vicksburg. Brand implemented a service calendar, where she does a service project every month of the year.

“One of her main goals was to volunteer in every way possible, and she’s done that and more,” said long-time friend and current Miss University Lexie Harper. “She plans to take the partnership statewide and impact the lives of all Mississippians while encouraging them to volunteer. That’s something she’s been able to do in just two months.”

Harper described her friend as a true role model.

“The Miss America organization’s mission statement is to prepare great women for the world and the world for great women,” Brand said. “So, I’m an advocate for female empowerment for the First All Success scholarships in service for the state of Mississippi.”

Brand’s two-year journey to become Miss Mississippi consisted of numerous mock interviews, modeling practice, talent practice, and keeping up with current events. Preparing for the Miss America competition will be different, she said, for many reasons.

“It’s a blessing just to be able to go,” Brand said. “Honestly, right now my favorite part is picking out my wardrobe. As silly as it sounds, I’m so excited to see what I’m going to wear on the Miss America stage and what I’m going to present on the judging panel at Miss America – that’s exciting.”

Brand emphasized that her journey has been fulfilling, but challenging at times.

“It looks like I have everything put together when I have all the makeup on, the big eyelashes, and the heels…but it’s just not realistic,” said Brand. “So, for anyone who is kind of struggling to put on a perfect face all the time, it’s okay to be real, it’s okay to be relatable in sharing your obstacles and what you’ve had to overcome, because we’ve all had to do that at some point.”