Mrs. Ahwatukee 2003 Emily Dille

As she prepares to compete for the Mrs. Arizona America 2003 title, UA graduate Emily Dille says her immense campus and community involvement at UA is what brought her to the runway.

Dille, formerly Spear, graduated from UA in 2000 with a degree in communication and four years of community service she hoped to continue. A member of Chi Omega sorority and former intern at the local radio station KRQ, Dille served as the sorority's social chairwoman for four years and was awarded Greek Woman of the Year during her sophomore year at the UA.

"Being involved in a really big community was just so enriching, I wanted to continue," said Dille, who resides in the Phoenix suburb of Ahwatukee.

Dille's continued her community involvement by representing women in business through the Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce. She eventually became Mrs. Ahwatukee 2003, beating out a field of other applicants from her area.

Now she will compete against 15-20 women from across the state for the Mrs. Arizona America title.

Currently the co-owner of Game Time Travel with her husband Aaron, also a former UA student, Dille said the requirements to participate in the competition are that the applicants be married, in good moral standing and actively involved in their community.

Dille said she has always been interested in pageants, but was unable to begin participating in them until after she graduated from the UA. Often missing deadlines and traveling between her home state of Oregon and Arizona made participation in both state's pageant systems almost impossible during her college years, Dille said.

"I've been interested in pageants my whole life," she said, adding that the Mrs. America system is very similar to the Miss America system, in which she participated twice in at the local level. The differences, she said, are that all the contestants in the Mrs. America pageant are married and there is no talent portion of the competition.

Dille said she hopes she captures the title so that she can promote her anti-smoking platform.

"A title goes so far to bring recognition and awareness to communities and issues," she said. "I feel very strongly about smoking in public, especially when there are children around."

The winner of the Mrs. Arizona America 2003 Pageant will win a prize package worth thousands of dollars, and will go on to represent the state of Arizona in the Mrs. America 2004 Pageant.

The competition, which is expected to have between 15 and 20 contestants, will include a personal interview portion, as well as swimsuit and evening gown competition.

"If she doesn't have enough qualities to be Mrs. Arizona America, then I don't know who does," said Dille's sister, Kelsey Spear, a psychology senior.

"This system seems to be very classy and house a great group of ladies, I'm proud to be a part of it," she added.

"There's a potential for a first-timer," said Dille who has competed in several pageants in the state of Oregon, but marks her current title as her first.

In her competition at the state level in Oregon, Dille watched Katie Harman be crowned Miss Portland and go on to win the title of Miss America 2001.

"She embodied everything Miss America should be · she got me enthusiastic," Dille said.

Dille said although she wants to be mother soon, she is the only contestant without children, but everything else about her embodies the essence of a Mrs. Arizona America.

"I feel very prepared, I think I will do well," she said.

"If she doesn't make it this time, then it will only strengthen her for the next time," Spear said.

The competition will be held on May 24 at the Scottsdale Center for Performing Arts in Scottsdale. The winner of the competition will travel to Hawaii to compete in the Mrs. America 2004 Pageant in September.