This post was written by Hatchet reporter Samantha Zeldin.

Over break, junior Sarah Hillware was busy exercising, researching D.C. health facts and picking out the perfect evening wear to prepare for America’s Miss District of Columbia 2012 pageant.
The preparation proved worthwhile when Hillware, 19, was crowned and given a sash bearing her new title when she was named Miss D.C. on Jan. 14.
Although she appears to carry herself effortlessly, Hillware is not a seasoned pageant competitor. She participated in her first pageant last July when she won the “Spirit of Miss D.C.” award at a preliminary pageant for Miss D.C.
Hillware said she found out about the Miss D.C. pageant on Facebook, and one of the directors contacted her about entering after seeing a photo of her from the preliminary pageant.
But the competition is not just about looks, Hillware said.
“A lot of it is about how well you present yourself and are able to be a spokesperson,” she said. “As a title winner you are expected to be personable, friendly, a spokesperson, do community service and keep up on current events.”
Hillware is required to make one appearance with her crown and sash each month, recruit sponsors and complete community service.
Along with taking on her duties as titleholder, Hillware must now begin preparing to compete for the national title in July. Her platform is “Knowledge is Power: Empowering People to be Their Own Best Health Advocates.”
“I plan to partner with different community organizations who are all working toward making health education more accessible to people in the District,” Hillware said.
She has already begun working with the Tigerlily Foundation, which raises support for breast cancer, and MEDLIFE, a nationwide group that provides medical aid to impoverished communities in Latin America. Hillware is a student advisory board member for MEDLIFE’s GW chapter.
Hillware is studying global public health in the Elliott School of International Affairs and plans to attend medical school upon receiving a master’s of global health.
“GW really helped mold me to think about health in this way,” said Hillware. “Here, I’ve been given the tools to go out into the community and see the different health problems District members were facing.”