Ebony Mitchell has sought the Miss Arkansas crown since her childhood.
"Little Eb," as she referred to her younger self, first met Miss Arkansas in 2005 thanks to a Harrison woman who hosts the competition's winner at her home one week every year. Today, Mitchell, 25, speaks clearly and confidently while wearing a glittering crown and sash she won Saturday night at the 2022 Miss Arkansas competition in Little Rock.
Eudora Mosby visited Mitchell's school all those years ago. Now, Mosby, alongside Mitchell's mother, and Orean Lencola Sullivan, the first Black woman to win the title, have inspired Mitchell to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming Miss Arkansas.
"(My motivation) is the people who have been with me since the beginning, who have always seen something in me, and always pushed me to be the best version of myself," Mitchell said.
Mitchell's road to the crown first began when she won the Miss University of Arkansas Princess pageant in 2007. She said that earning the title entered her into the Diamond State Princess/Prince mentorship program, partnering her with that year's Miss U of A.
"I thought it was the best thing ever," Mitchell said. "I thought she was the world."
Mitchell said participating as a princess, and realizing the organization's impact from a young age, was largely the reason she continued. Since her princess years, Mitchell has been a three-time candidate for Miss Arkansas' Outstanding Teen and has competed at Miss Arkansas every year since 2016.
Mitchell also credits seeing her sister compete in pageants as sparking her interest. Rasheen Mitchell, who is two years older, has since realized she enjoys being in the audience cheering for her sister, but before this, they both entered pageants, sometimes together. Ebony Mitchell said one year both sisters ran for the Miss Arkansas' Outstanding Teen title.
Rasheen Mitchell said through the years her sister has competed for Miss Arkansas, and despite all her sister's success, she has remained the same Ebony she knows and loves. She said her sister will be the Miss Arkansas that shows young people across the state that "you can be whatever you want to be as long as you put your mind to it."
"Watching Ebony, and seeing all the hard work she's actually put into this, and the dedication she has for this," she said. "It's just really nice to see something come full circle when you've worked so hard for it."
During her five appearances at Miss Arkansas, Mitchell has held the Miss North Central Arkansas, Miss Central Arkansas, Miss University of Central Arkansas, Miss Metro and Miss Dogwood titles. Mitchell said she believed 2021 would be her last year, and having never been a finalist, she said she was happy to receive first runner-up.
Then, the organization announced a change to eligibility rules which allowed Mitchell another chance.
"I had another year to compete, and hopefully be Miss Arkansas, so I jumped on it as soon as I could," Mitchell said. "I knew that this was where I was meant to be and that this was the plan for me all along."
Mitchell said she's always enjoyed performing onstage, starting dance lessons at four years old and later finding a home in competitive cheerleading. Yet, she found the interview portion of the competition to be challenging. As someone born with an introverted personality, Mitchell said it's been valuable to grow up in an organization which helped her refine conversational skills.
She also said she's proud of her ability to walk into a room and speak to anyone she meets. As Miss Arkansas, Mitchell will further her social impact initiative, "A Responsible Digital You," which aims to keep Arkansas children safe online. During the year, she will travel around the Natural State visiting as many schools as possible to raise awareness of internet dangers.
Mitchell said she is going to be there for "absolutely everyone" and will make sure everyone she meets feels important.
"I want to give back to every person I come in contact with," Mitchell said. "(I want) to tell them to reach for the stars because your dreams are definitely possible."
Aside from winning the Miss Arkansas crown, Mitchell said her proudest accomplishment came in graduating with her bachelor's degree in business administration from University of Central Arkansas in 2019. A first generation college student, she said if she could relive one day of her life, she would pick her graduation day.
Currently, Mitchell is a graduate student at John Brown University and works as a marketing specialist at Conway Regional Health Systems. As a volunteer at Arkansas Children's Hospital, she realized she had an interest in working for a nonprofit health organization, and she knew business was an area in which she could excel. With her Miss Arkansas scholarship money, Mitchell hopes to follow her passion of teaching, pursuing a doctorate in business so she can become a professor at a university.
To Mitchell, the Miss Arkansas Scholarship Competition means "everything." She shared experiences from forming a "special bond" with her Miss Arkansas candidates to meeting the organization's sponsors, who "want to help you have the best year ever, regardless if you're Miss Arkansas or not." As a former participant in the mentorship program, she also said she values the connections she's made with her princesses.
"It's paid for my education. It's given me lifelong connections," Mitchell said. "There are girls that I've met through this organization that I will be friends with for the rest of my life."