Miss Riverton 2022: 5 Years in the Making

miss-riverton-2022-thumbnail-storyThe Miss Riverton organization is a local scholarship competition that is designed to teach young women valuable life skills that, among many other things, include public speaking, poise, and knowledge and voice in political and current events. After working for the crown of Miss Riverton for nearly five years, Lily Snow’s dream became reality when she was named Miss Riverton on May 9, 2022.

Lily had attended pageants before, but the 2017 Miss Riverton pageant was different for her. The platform for Miss Riverton 2017, Serra Bye, was centered around body positivity, and Lily was able to see the difference Serra was making in the community. She found the issues Serra was addressing to be relatable, and she was able to make changes in her life because of it. Just as Lily had been impacted by Serra, Lily wanted to return the favor and become a role model for someone else. This is how her journey began.

The minimum age for the competition is 17 years old, and Lily made the 2018 deadline by just three days. Though she walked away without a crown, she learned valuable lessons that led to a year of what she called, “a year of self-discovery.” With that added year of self-reflection, she was able to be crowned as First Attendant in the 2019 Miss Riverton competition. Despite the progress she made throughout the course of the year, she still felt she had lost, simply because she had fallen short of her goal. Even through the low points, Lily has always been able to remain positive and work through them.

“I wouldn’t go back and change anything,” Lily said. “The next year completely changed my life, as I was able to serve Riverton City and gain one of my best friends, Bethany Fox, who was the reigning Miss Riverton.”

By 2020, Lily felt she was prepared to take that next step and earn the top spot as Miss Riverton. However, the COVID-19 pandemic emerged, and Lily was left, again, feeling unfulfilled. She felt like the universe was telling her that her dream was never meant to be realized. After much prayer and soul searching, she decided to serve a mission for her church.

“Leaving everything behind to go on a mission was one of the hardest choices I have ever made, but the next 18 months changed my life,” she said.

After serving in Arizona and Brazil for those 18 months, Lily was determined to make another run for Miss Riverton in 2022.

Competition day arrived less than two months after Lily had returned home, and she was ready give it her all. She began by performing her talent: singing and signing the American Sign Language interpretation to a song from Bring It On: The Musical. She then addressed the five judges and a full auditorium on the topic of healing from trauma through establishing strong relationships, the Social Impact Initiative, or platform, she had chosen to focus on during her year of service. The last impression she had to leave on the judges came as she, and each of the other participants, were presented one-by-one to show the judges their poise and confidence as they walked across the stage.

After roughly two hours of performances and public speaking, it came time for Miss Riverton to be crowned. Five years after setting her sights on the crown, Lily finally heard her name read as Miss Riverton 2022.

“I still can’t believe that after five whole years, this dream that I’ve had since 2017 is finally a reality,” she said.

Lily hopes others can pursue their dreams just as she did.

“Everything about your future depends on the thoughts that you tell yourself in your head,” Lily said. “Go in with determination, work hard, and do it! You’ll never be perfect the first time, but that doesn’t mean you should give up!”


Press / Media Contact:
pio@rivertonutah.gov
801-208-3189

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