USU student Emily Graf crowned 2024’s Miss Utah Volunteer

On Jan. 6, first-year history student Emily Graf was crowned Miss Utah Volunteer, marking another year of empowerment and altruism for the young women of Utah.  

Miss Utah Volunteer is a statewide pageant with the core mission to give back to the community and uplift young women involved in the program. According to their website, Miss Utah Volunteer’s closely abide by the “five points of the crown,” which are the organization’s core values.   

The five points of the crown — scholarships, education, responsibility, volunteerism and empowerment — spell out S.E.R.V.E. The organization also strives to be “the Premier Pageant System in Utah” by providing contestants with pageant training, chances to network and the opportunity to display the skills learned at a final competition.  

“It’s a way to empower women,” Graf said. “Through furthering education, through scholarship and through giving them new opportunities to spread their platforms.” 

Brittney Herman is the PR and marketing director at Miss Utah Volunteer. Herman emphasized that the beauty of pageantry comes from empowering every part of the person.  

“People sometimes think of pageants as really shallow,” Herman said. “That it doesn’t focus on the whole woman but on the outside of her. That’s totally not the case. The organization does a really good job of empowering young women to cultivate themselves as a whole — become the person they’ve always dreamed to be.” 

Herman served as Miss Ohio Volunteer 2023 with a platform focused on sexual assault prevention. Herman shares a strong passion for volunteering with Graf and all of the contestants who compete in the Miss Volunteer pageants. 

“My favorite experience as an Ohio volunteer was at a nursing home,” Herman said. “I played the flute for a valentines lunch there. There were couples who have been together for 50, 60, even 70 years.”  

The people the volunteers meet and get to work with is often the biggest motivator, according to Herman and Graf.  

“These couples got together to listen to the music,” Herman said. “Some of them were crying a little bit. As someone who lost her grandfather at a young age and didn’t get to see my grandparents grow old together, it was a really beautiful experience.”  

Herman’s favorite aspect of Miss Utah Volunteer is the women involved. 

“I love getting to work with young women and help them understand their full potential,” Herman said. “A lot of the time, the girls come in without a lot of confidence or belief in their abilities. I love helping them feel beautiful inside and out.” 

Graf is the first student from Utah State University to become Miss Utah Volunteer. She said juggling finals and papers alongside the responsibilities of her title is a difficult yet rewarding task. 

Graf started doing pageantry in November 2021, which led to her discovering the Miss Utah Volunteer organization.  

“I felt an immediate connection with MUV,” Graf said. “There were so many things I could relate to with the system — their values were the same as mine. I really wanted to get involved in a community that I knew was going to help me thrive.” 

In training and in working with the board to prep contestants, Herman recognized Graf’s subtle yet strong presence.  

Emily Graf was crowned Miss Utah Volunteer.

“Emily was a shining light to the rest of the girls,” Herman said. “She’s not the most outspoken person, but she has a quiet confidence that really permeates who she is.” 

All of the contestants involved embodied the values of Miss Utah Volunteer, according to Herman. 

“Looking at all the girls, I saw potential in all of them,” Herman said. “Any of them could have worn that crown. What stood out to me about Emily is that not only did she have the presence on and off the stage, but she was also just a warm person who made people feel good about themselves, made them feel seen.”   

Graf first applied for the MUV state title in October 2023 after serving locally as Miss Northern Utah Volunteer.  

“I was just excited,” Graf said. “I love getting those chances to perform and be on the stage. It’s something that I know I put my heart and soul into working for, so I knew I was ready to go out there and put my best foot forward.” 

The Princess and Teen pageant was held alongside Miss Utah Volunteer, with 16 contestants spanning in age from eight to 26. Those crowned from each pageant work together to exemplify Miss Utah Volunteer’s mission of service.  

“The three of us spend our time together doing service and getting involved,” Graf said.  

Arden-Grace Cuch was crowned Miss Utah Princess, and Ivy Beecher was crowned Miss Utah Teen.  

As a service-oriented organization, getting out and giving back to the community is a fundamental value of Miss Utah Volunteers. Each Miss Utah Volunteer begins on a service-based platform dubbed the S.E.R.V.E. Initiative.  

“My initiative is ‘What a Difference a Year Makes,’” Graf said. “It inspires youth, teens and young adults to find a lifelong passion for service.” 

Graf has completed over 55 service projects in the past two years, creating lifelong memories through these experiences.  

“My favorite project was when I served at the Davis School District teen centers,” Graf said. “We made birthday bags with different birthday goodies in them. They were a way of showing these kids in harder situations that they matter and they’re important to the community.”  

Through these experiences, Graf has met and inspired a variety of people to become volunteers.  

“I’ve done dog-walking, book drives, food drives, and prepared and served food in different places throughout the state,” Graf said. “I’ve done a lot of different things to get involved because I want to help other people find their passion so we can have a community of service-oriented individuals.”  

Through pageantry, Graf has had many service-based opportunities and is constantly looking for new ways to give back, especially within the USU community.  

“I would love to get involved with any service clubs or organizations on campus that have ideas I can help organize,” Graf said. “I’d really just love to help continue spreading and raising awareness about service.”  

Local and statewide titleholders from all 50 states have the opportunity to compete in Miss Volunteer America, a national competition honoring those most committed to service with over $125,000 in scholarship funding and a lifelong legacy.  

“I will have several appearances and several service projects throughout the year,” Graf said. “Then I will be competing at nationals in Tennessee in June 2024.” 

Currently, Graf is focused on fulfilling the duties of Miss Utah Volunteer. 

“It means everything to me,” Graf said. “I put my heart and soul into this. I’m just so excited to get started because this is such a great opportunity to continue sharing my passion or service.”  

Herman cited a quote from Maya Angelou that she believes embodies Graf’s character. 

“I heard a quote one time that said ‘People won’t remember what you did, but how you made them feel,’” Herman said. “That, to me, epitomizes who Emily is.”  

Graf cherishes the opportunities afforded to her by being a part of Miss Utah Volunteer and looks forward to many more of these experiences.  

“I have come out of this as a better, more confident version of myself,” Graf said. “I’ve had so many chances to grow. You’ll have all these amazing chances for sisterhood and to continue growing.”  

Graf cherishes joining a long line of young women dedicated to service and to creating a future full of volunteers.  

“We’re forever queens,” Graf said. “We’re always a part of a legacy. I’m so excited to be joining that.”