Wearing a red dress and an excited smile, Kyla Hall won the 51st annual Miss Tomball pageant.

Hall–a Tomball High School senior, Varsity Tennis player, and Ariel in THS Stage’s The Little Mermaid–placed first among 32 girls who competed for the crown on Nov. 19 at Salem Lutheran Church.

“It still hasn’t completely sunk in yet,” Hall said. “I am excited to get to know so many amazing members of the community this coming year.”

The Miss Tomball pageant is a scholarship competition hosted by the Tomball Chamber of Commerce. Each contestant is required to obtain a sponsorship from a local businesses, ride in the annual Tomball Holiday Parade, and undergo extensive preparation for weeks before they take the stage.

After a brief introduction in black cocktail dress, the girls changed for the evening gown competition, where the field is narrowed down to the top twelve.

The top twelve candidates included Devin Jones, Kennedy Thompson, Skylar Crawford, Olivia Guzman, Rayne Grimsley, Gabrielle Krenshaw, Morgan Ruysenaars, Kyla Hall, Katelyn Mullenix, Devon Sayer, Kasey Vann, and Kinsley Cantrell.

“I wasn’t nervous at first, but after they called the top twelve the nerves really kicked in,” Hall said. “Overall it was an amazing experience!”

Based on their answers to a question chosen at random, the top five girls were chosen: Guzman, Cantrell, Hall, Ruysenaars, and Vann. Each was then required to answer an additional question before the scores could be finalized.

“I knew I had prepared, but it was all in God’s hands. So many beautiful girls competed, and they all had amazing answers. I am truly blessed,” Hall said.