This time, Auburn’s Devanni Partridge was poised, polished and prepared to shine in perhaps her finest hour on center stage.
Partridge, the 2007 Miss Auburn and reigning Miss Seattle, stole the show to capture the prestigious Miss Washington crown July 11 at the Burien Community Center.
“I can’t believe it. I can’t imagine there’s a prouder father on the face of the Earth,” said John Partridge. “It was such an emotional and unforgettable night.”
Devanni Partridge automatically qualifies for the Miss America Pageant set for Jan. 30 in Las Vegas, Nev. She is only the second woman from Auburn to earn the state crown, joining Amber Hamilton, Miss Washington 1995.
Auburn fared well in the pageant. Maple Valley’s Allie Wallace, current Miss Auburn, finished in the top 10 of the field of 18. Miss Tahoma’s Cara Rudd, 2008 Miss Auburn, made the top five as third runner-up.
Partridge, 21, an Auburn High School graduate and a senior at Western Washington University, also earned more than $12,500 in scholarship awards at the pageant. Partridge, a pre-med student, is interested in pursuing a career in chiropractic care and physical therapy.
Two years ago, Partridge competed for Miss Washington to gain valuable experience.
“Only 22 girls in the state of Washington got to do that,” she told the Auburn Reporter at the time. “I didn’t place in the finals, but I won in the preliminary night talent.”
Two years later, she was more than ready to take the title.
Partridge won all three preliminary awards in her group, beginning with the talent phase. A classically trained pianist, she performed a Spanish piece called Malageuña. Partridge also won the swim suit/health and fitness round before sweeping the preliminary awards by taking the evening gown contest.
She performed on the platform, “Donate Life”: The Importance of Organ and Tissue Donation.”
“Winning Miss Auburn 2007 was the impetus,” John Partridge said of his daughter’s eventual pursuit of the Miss Washington crown. “She looked at her life and decided, ‘What more can I do?'”
Partridge will make her first official appearance at a luncheon today for the Auburn Noon Lions Club. The group will meet at noon at the Auburn Parks, Arts and Recreation Building, 910 – 9th St. SE.
Soon after Partridge won the Miss Auburn crown, she became a member of the Auburn Noon Lions.
“That opened a ton of doors in the area of community service for me,” she said. “I also got to meet an Army general, did a fishing derby for children with disabilities and helped raise more than $10,000 for the Sight Foundation through the White Cane Days program.
“ … There was a group of people in Auburn who embraced and loved me. People in the business community and representatives of the City of Auburn treated me like royalty,” Partridge said.
Partridge, daughter of John and Shirlee Partidge, has two sisters, Laura and Anne. Anne was also the fourth runner up in the 2009 Miss Auburn Scholarship Pageant.
