Five Arkansas Tech University representatives will be among the field of 49 contestants in the 2026 Miss Arkansas scholarship pageant June 9-13 at Robinson Center in Little Rock.
ATU students Damaris Castaneda of Clarksville, Emily Cross of Clarksville, Kenleigh Garner of Hot Springs and Faith Kelly of North Little Rock as well as ATU alumna Kate Manuel of Green Forest will compete for the Miss Arkansas crown and the opportunity to represent the Natural State in the 2026 Miss America scholarship pageant.
Castaneda is Miss Mount Nebo and an ATU junior majoring in nursing. Her community service initiative is “Turn Up the Volume: Advocating for Hearing Health.” Her talent is a flute performance of “Hopelessly Devoted to You.”
Cross is Miss Johnson County and an ATU junior majoring in music. Her community service initiative is “Soaring Voices: Empowering Education Through the Arts.” Her talent is a vocal performance of “Time to Say Goodbye.”
Garner is Miss Arkansas Tech and an ATU senior majoring in communication. Her community service initiative is “Empowering Voices for All.” Her talent is a vocal performance of “What I Did for Love.”
Kelly is Miss Sweetheart of Arkansas and an ATU senior majoring in health and exercise science. Her community service initiative is “Keep Hope Alive.” Her talent is an instrumental snare drum performance of “Who Runs the World (Girls).”
Manuel is Miss River Valley and a 2025 graduate of ATU with a degree in elementary education. Her community service initiative is “Si Se Puede: Empowerment Through Education.” Her talent is a vocal performance of “Quien Podra.”
Learn more about the Miss Arkansas competition at www.missarkansas.org.
