LEBANON, Pa. — A Lebanon resident has won the inaugural Ms. United World pageant, held earlier this month in Austin, Texas.
Deborah Wright, who lives in Lebanon and works for a company in Lancaster, was crowned the first Ms. United World over Labor Day weekend, according to United World Pageants, a "fashion forward, international pageant organization the exists to enrich the lives of women in unsurpassed pageant excellence," according to the organization's website.
Wright has been competing in pageants since she was 16, beginning her pageant career in the Miss America organization. She was crowned Miss Delaware USA in 2002, Mrs. Maryland International, Mrs. Pennsylvania International, Mrs. Galaxy and, most recently, Miss Pennsylvania for America in 2020.
"I am on cloud 9! I am ready to hit the ground running and work in our communities making a positive impact on our youth," said Wright. "Giving back to our community is very important to me. This is more than a crown, but serves as a microphone to raise awareness about causes important to me."
Her pageant winnings earned her $10,000 in college scholarships and funded most of her college education, according to Ms. United World.
In her Ms. United World bio, Wright says her passion is giving back to the community. She has made more than 1,200 appearances for organizations like DARE, Girl Scouts of America, Veterans Affairs, Girls on the Run, the Special Olympics, American Red Cross, the American Cancer Society, and others.
Since 2009, Wright has been active in the Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, helping to raise almost one million dollars.
Wright lives in Lebanon with her daughter, Elle, and boyfriend, Chris.
