URI junior competes in Miss America pageant

As University of Rhode Island junior Robin Bonner stepped off the airplane in Las Vegas three weeks ago, she couldn't help but think about her sorority sisters who coaxed her into competing in her first pageant ever just six months ago.

After arriving, shegot into a limo and was escorted through the VIP entrance of Planet Hollywood with the other Miss America contestants.

This time last year, Bonner was going about her college life as usual, expecting nothing extraordinary with the upcoming semester. She never would have guessed that she would win her first two pageants, Miss URI and Miss Rhode Island, and go on to compete in the Miss America pageant.

"If you asked me a year ago if I thought I would be competing at the pageants, I would have thought you were crazy," Bonner said.

Her experience started in March 2011, when her Alpha Phi sisters asked her to represent their sorority at the Miss URI pageant. It was meant to be a fun fundraising event in support of the Delta Chi fraternity's national philanthropy,  the Jimmy V. Foundation for Cancer Research.

When Bonner won the title of Miss URI, she was surprised and excited, especially since she had never entered a pageant in her life.

"I remember thinking, ‘I'm going to go to class tomorrow as Miss URI,'" she said.

After winning the title, Bonner went on to compete in the Miss Rhode Island pageant in May, but she thought that since she is originally from Long Island, she didn't have a shot at winning.

So, when she was crowned Miss Rhode Island, she said all she could think was, "Oh my gosh, I'm Miss Rhode Island.

"If you look at photos of when I won, you would have seen that my mouth was open in almost every picture," she said. "I was shocked."

After winning the title, therefore becoming an ambassador for the state, Bonner made appearances, spoke at schools, and advocated for her platform, "Heart to Heart: Women's Cardiac Care." Her biggest task was preparing for the Miss America pageant, which was only six months away.

Bonner took this past fall off from school so she could focus on her training. She underwent a rigorous training schedule with three different trainers, worked with a walking coach and followed a strict diet to ensure she was ready to compete.

Then on Jan. 5, she arrived in Las Vegas about to embark on what she calls one of her most "life-changing" experiences.

"I kept thinking that I would forever be a class of contestants, and that this experience would be something to tell my kids about," she said.

During her nine days in Nevada, she endured day-long rehearsals and was one of the eight contestants chosen to star in a infomercial for the hair product, Wen.

Bonner did not make it to the top 15, but she said she wasn't upset over it.

"Now, looking back, I don't think I could have done the job of Miss America," she said. "To be Miss America takes a lifetime of practice."

Bonner will spend the next six months resuming her classes at URI and finishing up her reign as Miss Rhode Island until she gives the title away in May,. After her tenure, Bonner said she won't be competing in any more pageants.

"I'm only 20 and I competed in Miss America," she said. "I mean, where do you go after competing in the most historical and famous pageant ever?"