Marie Wicks met the media Sunday afternoon during her first press conference as Miss Mississippi 2012.
The 23 year old Ocean Springs native sat down at Miss Mississippi Headquarters in Vicksburg to talk about Saturday night's pageant and her crowning moment.
Wicks competed as Miss Dixie and beat 41 contestants in her fifth time participating in the pageant.
Her past tries for the crown resulted in scholarship money and enabled her to continue her education.
The University of Mississippi graduate double majored in French and International Studies, also studied in Switzerland.
"All my classes were in French so I had to really put myself out there and it gave me such a felling of confidence and I believed in myself and I was able to ask questions and have adventures and try new things and to not be so afraid of trying new things. So when I competed in Miss Mississippi I just brought that same sort of mindset that just adventurous try everything feeling," said Wicks.
The pianist and aspiring physician plans to apply to medical school after completing her reign.
She will represent the state in the Miss America Pageant in January in Las Vegas.
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