GableGotwals Paralegal Mentors Miss Oklahoma 2023 and First-Runner Up

Miss Oklahoma 2023, Sunny Day and Tracie Calvin

Service, scholarship, style, and success are the four values represented by the points of the Miss Oklahoma crown. GableGotwals paralegal Tracie Calvin says her friend and former mentee, Miss Oklahoma 2023, Sunny Day, is a living example of those qualities.

Tracie has been involved in the Miss Oklahoma Organization since 2004, when she became the Executive Director for the Miss Skiatook Area Pageant.

“The philanthropic sorority I was a part of sponsored Miss Skiatook as a fundraiser for those in need,” Tracie said. “When the sorority sister who directed the pageant had to step down, I volunteered to take over her responsibilities.”

Tracie was the Executive Director of Miss Skiatook until she founded the Miss Oil Capital pageant in 2009. Both pageants are local preliminaries for Miss Oklahoma.

“Once we have our local winner, I assist them with preparation for the state pageant,” Tracie said.

In 2020, Tracie met Sunny Day, who won the Miss Oil Capital title just before the pandemic. The Miss Oklahoma and Miss America pageants were canceled that year, but contestants were invited to participate in the 2021 competition.

“Sunny took the opportunity and placed fourth runner-up in the 2021 Miss Oklahoma pageant,” Tracie said. “Since we had an extra year of preparation together, we became very close. I consider her a personal friend.”

After Sunny competed in 2021, she aged out of the organization. That is, until this January when Miss America announced the age deadline would be extended to 28 to allow women seeking postgraduate degrees to continue competing for scholarships.

“The Miss Oklahoma Organization provides over $2 million in cash and in-kind scholarships to contests every year,” said Tracie. “The assistance isn’t just for those who win – but for all who compete in the state and local competitions.”

At the national level, millions of dollars in scholarships are awarded through the Miss America program, building on ten decades of women leaders and scholars across the country.

Sunny, a first-generation high school and college graduate, is pursuing a master’s degree in education. In 2023, she earned the title of Miss Norman at 27 years old and went on to compete in Miss Oklahoma.

The evening Sunny won the Miss Oklahoma title was a night to remember, Tracie said.

Miss Oil Capital 2023, Mia-Lynne Smith and Tracie Calvin

Sunny and Tracie’s 2023 mentee, Miss Oil Capital, Mia-Lynne Smith, made it to the top 10. Then the top 5 – then, were the last two standing.

“I had said all week that I thought they would be the last two girls,” Tracie said, with a laugh. “It was the highlight of my service to this organization to have them win Miss Oklahoma and first runner-up this year.”

Sunny, a teacher in a school with a predominately at-risk student population, exemplifies the core values of the Miss America organization, Tracie said.

“She is mature, intelligent, and her personal story shows you should never give up on your dreams,” Tracie said. “She came from poverty and homelessness as a child. Despite that, she graduated from the University of Oklahoma, was named the 2020 Teacher of the Year and Next Gen 30 under 30 in Education in 2021.”

Tracie said she is motivated to continue volunteering for Miss Oklahoma because of the opportunities for professional development, community service, and sisterhood the organization provides young women. Her grandchildren both participate in the Oklahoma Star mentoring program for girls between five and ten years old.

“Both of my granddaughters have gained so much confidence through the program,” Tracie said. “I’m proud to be associated with an organization that empowers, motivates, and supports young women and their dreams and promotes and encourages community service.”

GableGotwals has partnered with Miss Oil Capital for several years through co-sponsoring program book ad pages and colleagues donating time for mock interviews.

“I am very grateful for GableGotwals’ support and for many of my peers and colleagues who have supported the Miss Oil Capital organization,” said Tracie.

Tracie said that she is excited to be celebrating the 90^th anniversary of the Miss Oklahoma pageant this year, especially due to her connection with Sunny.

“Six Miss Oklahomas have been crowned Miss America,” she said. “I totally believe that Sunny Day could become the seventh.”

About the Miss America Organization

Miss America is more than a title, it’s a movement of empowering young women everywhere to dream big, to insist that their voices be heard and to inspire change in the world around them.  Miss America membership gives you access to a variety of professional development, networking, scholarship, and community service opportunities year-round.

About GableGotwals

GableGotwals® is a full-service law firm with nearly 100 attorneys and more than 70 professionals in Oklahoma and Texas. We represent a diversified client base across the nation, and our connections and reach are global. Fortune 500 corporations, privately-owned companies, entrepreneurs, foundations, and individuals entrust us every day with the stewardship and strategic management of their legal challenges.