By Justin Adams | [email protected]

Last fall, longtime Herriman resident Paige Welsh was crowned Miss Herriman. After serving as an attendant to the previous two Miss Herrimans, she’s ready to take center stage in 2022. 

A resident since her family moved here when she was four years old, Welsh grew up to be a very talented dancer. She attended Pioneer High School for the Arts and danced with Odyssey Dance Theater. However, her dancing career was disrupted in 2019 when she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. What followed was an intense period of depression, one which inspired her to become an advocate for mental health awareness.

“I want to remind people that it’s OK to not be OK. It’s OK to bring up these topics,” she said. “It can be scary and overwhelming, but our physical and mental health are the most important things. I really think we as a community need to be more open-minded about these things.” 

The opportunity to promote a cause important to oneself is actually what attracted Welsh to the Miss America program in the first place. Growing up, she had “preconceived notions” of what pageants are all about. But that all changed when she was invited by one of her dance students to attend a local pageant. She was struck by the pageant winner’s speech about her social impact initiative. 

“Hearing them be so passionate, and thinking about what I was passionate about, I realized that I have a message,” Welsh said. 

That led her to compete in the Miss Herriman competition the last two years, winning the title of first attendant. Her time spent accompanying Miss Herriman to various events and activities during that time has given her valuable experience that has allowed her to hit the ground running.

“It was a great learning experience,” she said. “I got to do a lot of cool things alongside Miss Herriman. I built relationships with city council members, with residents. Those relationships will help me achieve the goals I have for this year.”

In addition to planning events to promote mental health awareness, Welsh is also looking forward to participating in the various community events that take place within the city over the course of the year. The first of which will be a Daddy-Daughter dance for Valentine’s Day, which is scheduled to take place on Feb. 12 from 5 to 7 p.m. 

To keep up with Miss Herriman over the course of the year, you can follow her on Facebook or Instagram.