Allie Wallace has enjoyed the ride and the chance to represent Auburn.

“It’s a huge honor,” said the reigning Miss Auburn. “It’s a huge honor to represent such an outstanding organization.”

That organization is the Miss Auburn Scholarship Pageant, one of the largest and most successful local programs in the country. Wallace was the big recipient of it last year, capturing the crown and nearly $12,000 in total gifts, awards and scholarships, including the honor to represent the Auburn community in a variety of capacities throughout the year.

Wallace will relinquish the duties Friday when judges select a new leading lady out of field of 22 contestants. The finals will begin at 7 p.m. at the Auburn Performing Arts Center, 700 E. Main St.

The talent portion of the pageant was conducted Thursday night.

Wallace, daughter of John and Karma Wallace of Maple Valley, has stayed busy throughout the year.

In addition to making local appearances and fulfilling responsibilities, she found time to graduate in June with a degree in economics from Seattle Pacific University. She works as a firm administrator for a downtown Seattle law firm.

In March, she joined a missionary medical team that works with children in an orphanage in Sierra Leone, West Africa.

Doing outreach work comes from her heart.

“It definitely left an imprint on my life,” she said of the experience abroad. “It is really important to help others.”

Wallace also spent time serving as a mentor to other pageant contestants. She also joined the Miss Auburn contingent at Las Vegas, Nev., supporting Auburn’s Devanni Partridge, reigning Miss Washington, at the Miss America Pageant.

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For more on tonight’s contestants and other program information, please visit www.missauburn.org.