SEQUIM — Magan Waldron will compete for the Mrs. America Pageant 2018 crown after winning this year’s Mrs. Washington America competition.
Waldron was among 19 other women from across Washington state competing for the title on June 23 in Olympia, and moves on to compete for the title of Mrs. America on Aug. 25 in Las Vegas, Nev.
“It’s very surreal,” she said. “I’m still pinching myself. It does not feel real. It’s very humbling and a very huge honor.”
She is the first married woman from Sequim to win the title, she said.
Her platform — her charity — is Operation Uplift — an Port Angeles, volunteer-ran charity — that devotes 100 percent of its donations to support Clallam County residents battling cancer.
The nonprofit proves free mammograms, offers two breast health clinics per year and provides support for survivors.
Waldron said she is excited to bring her platform to the national stage and to work with delegates from Washington to spread the word about Operation Uplift.
“I’m excited to speak to women across America,” she said. “We’ll talk about each other’s platforms.”
She also will work to support the state’s platform, the Seattle Children’s Hospital, and the national platform, the Victoria Siegal Foundation, named for an 18-year-old woman who died of a drug overdose in 2015.
Waldron spent the weekend in Moses Lake preparing for the national competition. She said she was fitted for her costume and that she was selecting her attire for the week. She also finalized her travel plans to Las Vegas.
Waldron placed in the top 12 in the state competition in 2015 and was third runner-up in 2017.
A 2000 Port Angeles High School graduate, she lives with her family in Sequim. She has been married to her husband, Klayton, for about 12 years and they have a 7-year-old son, Kooper.
Waldron works for Olympic Peninsula Title Co. and is a 2000 Port Angeles High School graduate.
Waldron said she is thankful for the many local businesses who have supported her and is again asking for donations to help her meet her contractual obligations for competing in the Mrs. America Pageant.
Waldron has a gofundme page set up at www.gofundme.com/5py2n-the-road-to-mrs-america.
“I want to showcase the Olympic Peninsula and all the amazing businesses we have here,” she said.
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Reporter Jesse Major can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56250, or at jmajor@peninsuladailynews.com.
