An environmental engineering professor by day, Dr. Lashun Massey is about to take on a very different role as she competes against 17 other contestants for the title of Mrs. Arkansas America on Nov. 10. 

The Mrs. Arkansas America Pageant represents the first time Massey, program coordinator of the Environmental Engineering program at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, has ever competed in a pageant, something that she admits is making her a tad nervous.

“I’m an engineer, so this takes me out of my comfort zone,” she said. “I want to advocate that it is okay to be out of your comfort zone. If there is something you want to pursue in your life, you go forward and go after it. I want to be challenged to be a better person, and I want to reach other people and share how I was able to obtain some of the goals in my life.”

Education has always been an important goal for Massey. Growing up in Phillips County near Elaine and Lambrook, Arkansas, Massey was always taught to value education. Her family understood the cost of hard work as she, her grandparents, her mother, her aunts, uncles, and cousins, who all lived under the same roof, assisted in the manual labor and upkeep of her grandfather’s farm.

“I grew up here in the state of Arkansas with my grandparents on a farm,” Massey said. “There were a lot of economic obstacles that we ran into. There were limited resources that we had. I also had several health issues that I had to overcome. I was able to become healthy and lose almost 250 pounds. I was on the verge of having a lot of health issues because of my weight.”

Learning how to have a healthy lifestyle and achieve a good work-life balance were difficult tasks for Massey, but it was important for her and her family, whose support has been instrumental in Massey’s journey. Massey and her husband Jeff were married on Valentine’s Day. The couple have two sons, R.J. and Raylan.

“My family has been so supportive throughout this entire process and whole journey. That is one of the reasons why I have been able to continue this journey,” Massey said. “Initially, when I thought about running, I knew it would be a family decision. I talked with my family to make certain that they would be supportive and that if we had the opportunity to win the title of Mrs. Arkansas, we would serve as a role model for families out there. They have been very supportive in helping me do this.”

The pageant will begin at 7 p.m. at the Hot Springs Convention Center. Tickets may be purchased from Massey in advance for $17.50 or at the door for $20. The competition will include an interview, on-stage question, and the traditional bathing suit and evening gown competitions. Mrs. Arkansas America will win a trip for a week to Las Vegas to represent the state of Arkansas in the Mrs. America Pageant. In addition to a prize package, Mrs. Arkansas America will take part in many television interviews and personal appearances allowing this year’s winner an opportunity to amplify her role as a married woman.

If Massey wins the pageant, she looks forward to the opportunity to encourage more people to better themselves with education through her platform, “Empowering Through Education: The Power of Knowledge.”

“If I have the opportunity to represent the state of Arkansas as Mrs. Arkansas America, this will give me the chance to reach a much larger audience. I will continue to spread my platform, to spread education, and to reach students and to let them know about the importance of pursuing education and the various STEM careers out there,” she said. “It will give me a chance to inspire hope, letting people know that you can always make a difference and change.”

In her time as Mrs. Little Rock, Massey has visited with schools to share her story of how education has impacted her life and to encourage the students to pursue careers in STEM fields.

“As Mrs. Little Rock, one of the goals that I have is to help inspire and motivate men and women across the state of Arkansas to pursue their dreams,” Massey said. “Through my platform, I have a chance to reach students in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines. I have this opportunity to go out and reach these students and help give them inspiration that they can pursue their dreams and go after some of these things they want to do in life. I’m hoping to excite our future leaders in Arkansas.”

Photo of Lashun Massey by Jerry Davis.