Sofia Boru (right) is congratulated by her mom, Paula Moseley, after winning Miss Oregon 2022 (Submitted).
Sofia Boru, a special education assistant at McNary High School, was recently crowned United States of America’s Miss Oregon 2022 or USOA Miss Oregon. Her journey to win this title started three years ago on Facebook.
“One day, I saw an advertisement on Facebook for the Miss Oregon USA Pageant and thought, ‘I could do something like this.’ I reached out to my friends and family about competing and they told me to go for it. After my first year, I was hooked and kept going from there,” Boru said.
However, it hasn’t always been about winning. Boru enjoyed being able to look back at her accomplishments and continue to better herself.
“Even in years past when I haven’t won, I’ve always been proud of myself,” she said.
Boru grew up in Keizer and always enjoyed volunteering to give back to the community. She knew that she wanted to continue giving back and felt like pageants allowed her to do so.
From there, Boru decided on helping domestic violence victims as her main campaign.
“After quarantine, the number of cases increased dramatically just in the U.S. alone. I created the hashtag, #getupglowup, as a way to raise awareness and advocate for victims,” Boru said.
She also liked being able to meet new people, including the women she was competing against as she feels it gives her the chance to make new friends and connections.
“It’s wonderful to see the number of different women competing for the same title because they each bring something unique to the table. I’m honored to meet so many talented and driven ladies,” Boru said.
Despite loving pageants, Boru notes that at times they can be very challenging.
“Honestly, the most challenging part of pageants is the motivation. There is so much that goes into preparing for the competition,” she said.
Boru currently has a fitness coach, interview coach, stage coach and actively has to find sponsors or donations to help with pageant expenses.
However, she feels that all of challenges are worth it to be able to do pageants and is currently preparing for the national competition.
Those interested in supporting Boru’s campaign can contact her at [email protected] or her mom, Paula Moseley, at [email protected].