Here she comes, Miss America (hopefully)

Tammy Harris, B.A. '96 has tried six times to win the title of Miss New York State.

This year, she won. She beat out more than 20 other finalists for the title June 29.

Next up? Miss America. On Sept. 14, the Williamstown, N.Y. native will go to Atlantic City and represent the Empire State in the pageant of all pageants, hosted by Regis Philbin.

Winning Miss New York does entail some adjustments. For the past two months, her life has been one nonstop promotional tour: doing parades, festivals, and golf tournaments, judging talent shows, making guest appearances on radio and TV shows, opening art shows, and playing in a celebrity baseball game.

Harris graduated from UB with a double major in dance and psychology. Her strength in "interpretative contemporary" dance led to a prominent position in the university's Zodiaque Dance Company.

Her close relationships with faculty members Tom Ralabate and Linda Swiniuch have continued into her post-academic life-both helped her to prepare for the Miss America Pageant. Ralabate choreographed her dance for the "talent" section of the competition, while Swiniuch helped her out with her wardrobe.

"Tom Ralabate is a wonderful choreographer," Harris says. "He's good for me-he knows the pageant system. And he knows me-what I do and what I do well. And Professor Swiniuch really helped me come out of my shell. She let me see dance from a whole new perspective-that much of it has to do with your mind.

"Forty percent of the pageant is based on talent," Harris explains. "Thirty percent is the interview." A significant part of a contestant's presentation is her "platform"-a single issue that sets the tone for the interview. Harris's platform is tolerance for difference-an attitude she says UB furthered through its diverse makeup.

"I know I'm not going to change the world or provide world peace or anything like that," she says. "But I hope to make a small, positive difference." Spoken like a true, well... Miss America.