Bethany Watson is doing more than practice the Miss America strut, just in case she makes it to Atlantic City. She has earned her Series 7 and Series 63 licenses, is a sales assistant at Prudential Securities and a junior at Penn State majoring in finance and marketing. She expects to become a full-time broker in three years.
But first she will compete in the Miss Pennsylvania contest in June, and if she wins, she will represent the state at the Miss America Pageant in September. Her goal next year is to visit each school in the Philadelphia School District to encourage racial tolerance and cultural diversity.
“My schedule is completely out of control, but I'm loving it,” says Watson, 24, who won $8,000 in the competition. “Pru has been tremendously supportive, helping me and allowing me to juggle my responsibilities as Miss Philadelphia and as a college student.” She attends evening classes.
For the talent portion of the 2002 Miss Philadelphia Pageant, Watson performed an original comedic monologue. During her interview Watson talked about her goal of becoming a financial advisor.
She works on a team of five at Prudential's Philadelphia office, including another sales assistant and advisors Richard Smith, Corey Smith and William Serrill. “She's terrific” says Serrill, a first vice president. “She's always looking for more to do. And she's so pleasant. I've never seen her have a bad day.”