Ouachita’s Ava Weeks: Community, calling and the road to Miss America
June 16, 2026
- James TaylorAva Weeks, a Ouachita English and secondary education double major from Conway, Arkansas, walked out of Little Rock’s Robinson Center Saturday night as the new Miss Arkansas. After winning overall talent, onstage conversation and the Jessie Bennett Leadership Award earlier in the week, she was then crowned the overall winner by outgoing Miss Arkansas Kennedy Holland.
In the days since winning, Weeks has kicked off a week of media engagements with outlets across the state. She has also received hundreds of messages from friends and family, support from the Miss Arkansas organization and encouragement from her Ouachita community.
“We’ve hit the ground running, especially with media, going on pretty much every TV channel in Arkansas for interviews and talking about Miss America prep because it’s only eight weeks away,” Weeks said from her hotel room in Little Rock. “We’ve been visiting sponsors and meeting with board members to figure out the details. Everyone has been very helpful.”
Ava Weeks with a portrait of her mother, April Gosser Cook, who was Miss OBU in 1992.
Photo by Katie Childs
Weeks, who won Miss Ouachita Baptist University in 2025 before becoming Miss Southwest Arkansas in 2026, will represent the state in Miss America in September. She is now the university’s 12th student to win Miss Arkansas, the last being 2011 winner Kristen Glover, who was crowned by fellow Ouachita alumna Alyse Eady.
“Everyone at Ouachita has been so encouraging and supportive,” Weeks said. “My Miss OBU director, Sarah Teed, and my Southwest Arkansas team invested a lot into me. My friends and family have been incredibly supportive. I truly believe that I would not be Miss Arkansas right now if I did not have the help that was given to me.”
Taking on the full-time role of Miss Arkansas, Weeks will pause from her senior year at Ouachita but plans to return to complete her degree. The scholarships she earned this year will help fund that journey. Weeks received $41,500 in 2026 pageant scholarships alone, from an organization she noted awards over $300,000 annually.
“I had an English teacher who taught me how to share my opinion, why I believe what I believe and how to find the evidence for that. I’m passionate about helping people find their voice,” she said.
When asked what she’ll miss about being on campus this year, Weeks didn’t hesitate.
“The community at Ouachita is unlike anything else,” Weeks said. “The dance team is my family. We pray together, encourage each other and cry together. But I know that I’ll always be able to come back home.”
Weeks plans to return to the Arkadelphia campus for Tiger Tunes, Ouachita’s annual variety show that raises money for student scholarships. With her new responsibilities, she will have to step away from her planned role as a director of the show’s host ensemble but looks forward to staying connected.
“That’s extremely special to me and it’s on my calendar,” she said. “The chance to be there has really helped me feel like I’m still a part and at home at Ouachita.”
For Weeks, the year ahead is also about more than the title.
Weeks celebrates on the stage of the Robinson Center after being named Miss Arkansas
Photo by Danny Barger
"My faith is everything. This platform that I have is not something I take lightly at all. I get the honor to not only represent an incredible organization, but to be a light and to represent Jesus,” Weeks said. “Just last night, two board members suggested the prayer: ‘Lord, help me to see the people you want me to see that you have placed in this room.’ That's what I’ll pray every morning.”
It’s a sentiment her university community shares.
“Ava has been such a great representative of Ouachita and an intentional friend through this journey,” said Anna Derby, a senior kinesiology major who is the current Miss Ouachita Baptist University. “I am in awe of the hard work and dedication she has shown and can’t wait to see all that she accomplishes throughout her year. I’m thrilled that one of my sweet sisters from the Women of EEE and the Miss Arkansas organization is living out her dream.”
Weeks’ journey for the next year will be shared on Instagram at @missamericaar and @missarkansasorg and on TikTok at @missarorg.
Previous Ouachita Winners of Miss Arkansas
1967 Sharon Evans Bale
1968 Helen Rose Gennings
1970 Donna Joe Connally
1978 Naylene Vuurens
1984 Lisa Stevens Locke
1988 Patti Thorn Lusk
1994 Beth Anne Rankin Baker
2002 Lauren Davidson Greenhaw
2004 Lacy Fleming Glover
2010 Alyse Eady Lemmond
2011 Kristen Glover Belew
Ouachita Baptist University is a Christ-centered learning community in its 140th year, located in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. Learn more about degrees in English, education or more than 80 other academic programs at obu.edu.
Lead photo: Ava Weeks performs with the hosts and hostesses of the 2025 Tiger Tunes at Ouachita.
Lead photo by Matthew Correll
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