Ella Ryann Cottrell had never even thought about competing in a pageant before when she signed up for the Miss UGA contest, but she saw it as an opportunity.
“I thought, if I were to win this thing, it could really set me up to be able to serve and connect with people in Athens in a way that I normally wouldn’t be able to, just as a regular student,” Cottrell said.
Plus, as a regenerative bioscience major on the pre-dental track, Cottrell figured the pageant interview would help her prepare for medical school.
(Photo by Merrielle Gatlin/Red & Black)
“There is so much professional development in pageantry, and that is really overlooked,” said Cottrell. “They are building women to be leaders and to be respected and have great communication skills.”
This January, Cottrell competed against 15 other contestants in the Miss UGA pageant, an official Miss America Preliminary sponsored by UGA’s Department of Engagement, Leadership and Service. To her surprise, she was crowned the 64th Miss University of Georgia. Already an active volunteer, Cottrell has since used her Miss UGA platform to raise awareness about food insecurity and good dental hygiene.
In her time at UGA, Cottrell has immersed herself in programs that engage with the Athens community. She is an active volunteer at Extra Special People (ESP), co-volunteer coordinator for the UGA American Medical Student Association, a member of UGA’s Pre-Dental Society, and a shift leader with Campus Kitchen at UGA, where she has truly found her calling.
Cottrell at Campus Kitchen.
Providing people with healthy meals and fresh produce has always been important to Cottrell. Campus Kitchen, a student-powered hunger relief program coordinated by UGA’s Office of Service-Learning, is dedicated to reducing food waste and food insecurity throughout Athens-Clarke County. Since 2012, Campus Kitchen has recovered over 572,000 pounds of food and made more than 133,000 meals from scratch for members of the community.
Starting in August 2024, Cottrell took on a shift leader position at Campus Kitchen and now spends her Sundays at UGArden, a student community farm, where she sorts food deliveries from local Athens businesses and works with other shift leaders to plan out meals and write recipes for the week.
“I think the biggest thing students gain is direct involvement with the Athens community,” said Andie Bisceglia, Campus Kitchen coordinator. “Campus Kitchen allows students a meaningful way to connect with the community.”
Inspired by her involvement with Campus Kitchen, Cottrell developed Nourish Athens as her Community Service Initiative with the Miss UGA program. Nourish Athens focuses on providing meals to those in need and educating others on the role of nutrition in combating diseases, empowering youth and their families.
With the help of Bisceglia, Cottrell launched Nourish Athens at Christine W. Howard Park & Community Center and now has seven students who attend her after-school program. Cottrell teaches the kids to prepare a healthy meal while educating them about its nutritional value. They then eat together and take the rest home to their families. She also makes sure to remind them to brush their teeth that night.
“Your dental health and nutrition are so related,” Cottrell said. “If you don’t have healthy teeth, you can’t digest the food that is good for you, and so that’s kind of where Nourish comes in.”
Looking ahead, Cottrell plans to keep up her involvement in the Athens community, making it her mission to create a difference in as many Athens families’ lives as she can. She hopes to expand Nourish Athens into a larger after-school program with the possibility of reaching school districts in other counties.
“I feel a lot of purpose in what I am doing, and I’ve loved every second of it,” Cottrell said. “I have no intent to stop, and I definitely will continue throughout my time in Athens.”
Cottrell will represent UGA at the 2025 Miss Georgia Pageant in Columbus, Georgia this June. The Miss Georgia Pageant winner has the chance to win $20,000 to $25,000 in scholarship money and then compete at the Miss America level.