Amanda Higginbotham flies regional jets for a living.
On Saturday, June 20, the Southlake native added a national title to her résumé when she was crowned Miss Volunteer America 2027 at the Carl Perkins Civic Center in Jackson, Tennessee.
Higginbotham, a first officer at SkyWest Airlines who holds an Airline Transport Pilot certificate, represented Texas against titleholders from across the country in the fifth year of the service-focused scholarship competition.
Her colleagues at SkyWest call her "Silk" for her smooth landings, according to a profile published Wednesday, July 15, in Southlake Style.
The win carries a $50,000 scholarship toward a master's degree and two national roles: official liaison to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and national ambassador for The Salvation Army.
Higginbotham was also named the competition's Top Fundraiser for St. Jude, having raised more than $26,000 for the hospital over the past year. The Miss Volunteer America organization collectively raised more than $300,000 for St. Jude in the same period. She logged more than 200 volunteer hours, including 102 with The Salvation Army.
For the talent portion, Higginbotham performed a "Classical Mashup" on piano, blending Mozart's Eine kleine Nachtmusik, Chopin's Fantaisie-Impromptu, Rimsky-Korsakov's Flight of the Bumblebee, and the third movement of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata.
"Crowns are best paired with rolled-up sleeves," Higginbotham told Southlake Style.
The competition, founded in 2022 by Allison DeMarcus of Jackson, Tennessee, judges contestants across four categories: a 10-minute interview, talent, evening gown, and fitness/wellness, plus an onstage question for the top five finalists. The organization has awarded more than $1.5 million in scholarships at the local, state, and national levels, according to a May 20 press release.
What's next for NE Tarrant residents
Higginbotham will serve as Social Chair for the Dallas–Fort Worth St. Jude Walk on Saturday, September 19, at The Lawn at Grandscape, 5752 Grandscape Blvd., The Colony. Festivities begin at 7 a.m., opening ceremonies at 8 a.m., and the 3-mile walk starts at 8:30 a.m. The event, presented by Wingstop, is free to join with donations encouraged. The walk's fundraising goal is $535,000.
Registration is open at fundraising.stjude.org. The walk falls during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
Upcoming community calendar
- Saturday, September 19 — DFW St. Jude Walk, The Lawn at Grandscape, The Colony. Festivities at 7 a.m., walk at 8:30 a.m. Free; registration open at fundraising.stjude.org.
