When Kenleigh Garner stepped onto the Witherspoon Auditorium stage and performed “Maybe This Time” for her vocal talent in the 70th Miss Arkansas Tech University scholarship pageant, there was more than met the ear to her song choice.
“This was my very last time to be able to compete for the Miss ATU title,” said Garner, who was second runner-up in 2024 and third runner-up in 2025 at the Miss Arkansas Tech pageant. “That song choice was very important to me because I thought of it as maybe this time will be my time to shine and maybe this time I will wear the Miss Arkansas Tech crown. It ended up being true. It was this time.”
Garner, a 21-year old Arkansas Tech senior majoring in communication and journalism, earned the 2026 Miss Tech title on Friday, Feb. 6, and will represent ATU in the 2026 Miss Arkansas scholarship pageant at Robinson Center in Little Rock June 6-13.
“I did compete in Miss Arkansas’ Teen for about three years, and each time I was met with a no, not yet,” said Garner. “That’s kind of the mindset that I took with it. It may not be this time, but it could be next time. Each time you just take it as a learning experience and a growing experience, even if you win the title. You think of it as a learning and growing experience.
“I also like to think of it as a job,” continued Garner. “You tend to go to job interviews, and even if you don’t get the job, you take a lot from that interview and you learn some things about yourself. You learn about how you interview, how you talk to people and what you can change from there.”
A native of Hot Springs, Garner graduated from Lakeside High School in 2023. Her hometown and her school provided a community that fostered her love of singing and dancing.
“Hot Springs is a city full of the arts,” said Garner. “Whether it’s visual arts or performance arts, I have met so many performers through living in Hot Springs. At my high school, we are a very performance arts heavy school. We had a brand-new facility open in 2021, which was very helpful for our performance arts students, especially our theatre students, our choir students and our band students.”
It was through her involvement in the arts that Garner connected with Arkansas Tech. She was attending the 2023 Arkansas Thespian Festival at Russellville High School when she met Frances Roberson, ATU director of theatre and assistant professor of theatre.
Garner had applied to Arkansas Tech and had been accepted, but she had not yet visited campus. Roberson encouraged her to attend Time Out for Tech, the annual preview day for high school seniors considering enrollment at ATU.
“I walked onto campus for the very first time…walked into Tucker Coliseum…and my eyes just went wide like saucers,” said Garner. “I told my dad that day, ‘forget all the other universities, I’m coming here.’ I signed my letter of intent that day, registered for all my classes and said this is where I’m going.”
Time has proven that it was the right choice. Garner is especially grateful for the personal development she has experienced while at Arkansas Tech.
“If it’s not the campus events that keep you constantly busy and allow you to have a lot of fun without ever leaving campus, I would have to say it’s the leadership opportunities,” said Garner when asked her favorite aspect of being an ATU student. “I’ve had a lot of chances to grow as a leader, not only personally, but through student organizations.”
Garner has gained those leadership experiences in organizations such as Phi Mu and the Society of Professional Journalists, the latter of which has also connected her with two internship opportunities.
Those real-world experiences will serve Garner well in December 2026 when she graduates from Arkansas Tech and enters the workforce. She will also continue her education by pursuing an online broadcast meteorology certificate from Mississippi State University.
“The dream job, if I’m not a meteorologist, is to be a multimedia journalist,” said Garner. “I’m looking locally, hopefully trying to stay in Little Rock, but if not, I’ve been looking around at other states…especially states around Arkansas so maybe I can stay a little closer to home.”
For now, Garner is embracing the opportunity to represent Arkansas Tech through a wide variety of events and experiences over the next 12 months.
“The one thing I’m looking forward to the most is being able to interact with the students,” said Garner. “Whether I’m wearing the crown and sash or I’m not wearing the crown and sash, I love getting to meet new people. My dad used to joke and say I never met a stranger, which, he’s the exact same way, so it’s probably genetic.”
