The newest member of Dowagiac’s royal sisterhood will be crowned later this month, as the Miss Dowagiac Scholarship Pageant hosts its 77th ceremony on Saturday, Jan. 23.

Over the next two weeks, the Dowagiac Daily News will feature the profiles of the 10 ladies vying for the crown.

This year’s pageant will begin at 7 p.m. inside the Dowagiac Middle School Performing Arts Center. Tickets for the event are available inside the office of the Greater Dowagiac Chamber of Commerce, inside the Dowagiac train depot.

Name: Alyssa Allen

Contestant Number: 1

Age: 18

Height: 5 foot 8

Eye Color: Blue

Parents/guardians: Ronald and Ann Allen

Siblings: I have one brother and two sisters who are triplets and are 11 years old. Their names are Ryan, Sarah and Emma.

School attending: Dowagiac Union High School

Grade: 12

School activities: Varsity golf, varsity basketball, varsity softball, student senate, National Honor Society

Outside activities: Travel softball

Interests and hobbies:  I enjoy playing travel softball, working at Driftwood Summer Shop in the summer months, listening to music and spending time with family and friends.

Awards and honors: Outstanding Female Freshman Athlete, First Team All-District softball my Junior year, WSJM Student Athlete of the Week April 2015, announced as one of the five finalists for the WSJM Female Athlete of the Year in the spring of 2015, attended the Student Athlete Leadership Conference both my freshman and sophomore years in high school.

Three words to describe you: Dedicated, determined and outgoing

What are your ambitions and plans after graduation? After graduation, I plan to attend college to study radiology while also playing college softball.

What is your greatest accomplishment? I feel that my greatest accomplishment is being accepted into the college of my choice and making my verbal commitment to play college softball.

Why did you decide to compete for the title of Miss Dowagiac? I decided to compete for the title of Miss Dowagiac because I have been coming to the pageants with my mom since I was 5 years-old. I love listening to the stories about her experience. I also feel that the pageant is a great way to create lasting memories with the girls I have grown up going to school with.