Halle Burton, age 20, was chosen to be this year’s Miss Gainesville at the Miss Gainesville Scholarship Competition held in the Eastside High School theater last weekend. Burton and 25-year-old Tia Unsell, chosen as Miss Ocala, were selected from 15 delegates from across the state.
Burton and Unsell are now eligible to compete in June for the Miss Florida title, and they will both receive a $1,000 scholarship.
“Growing up, I knew that one day I wanted to have the opportunity to also be Miss Gainesville one day, so for me, this is a 14-year dream come true, which is amazing,” Burton said in a phone interview.
Burton said she participated in Sunshine Little Princesses, now called Sunshine Little Sisters, at age six. She got to spend the year seeing what Miss Gainesville was able to do in her community and she knew she wanted to grow up and be the same kind of role model for other little girls.
Last year, Burton competed in the Miss Gainesville competition and was second runner-up. She said though that experience was discouraging, it allowed her to strengthen her baton-twirling talent, confidence and fitness to come back as a stronger candidate this year.
“All of these components I grew stronger in over this past year,” Burton said. “But aside from that, I also created a plan. And I learned through going out and serving in the community, not as Miss Gainesville, first as a student at the University of Florida, and learning how I can make the greatest impact.”
Burton said she learned from a young age that she could do her part to make a difference, serving with her parents at various organizations that work with children in hospital settings, including Ronald McDonald House and Gainesville-based Caleb’s Pitch.
Burton grew up in Gainesville, then spent her middle and high school years in Utah and Texas. She knew when she graduated, she wanted to come back and attend the University of Florida, another dream she has now attained.
Seven years ago, Burton created Serve Our State, an organization to promote volunteerism and activism among youth. When she was in high school, Burton also started an organization called “Bookin’ It,” which hosts free book fairs for Title I elementary schools.
“There are 28 Title I elementary schools in Alachua County,” Burton said. “So my goal is to go and speak to all of them, promoting kindness and self-esteem and positivity, while also hopefully being able to donate books to all of them.”
Burton is now in her third year at UF, studying public relations with a concentration in political science. She is a Gatorette twirler for UF’s Gator Band, a member of Florida’s Future Leadership Program and a student senator recently selected as co-chair of the student senate’s mental health ad-hoc committee.
“Halle is a native of the area, a talented baton twirler, and she personifies the qualities of a role model for all young women,” Rachel Dickhaus, local executive director of the Miss Gainesville Scholarship Competition, said in a press release. “We are also excited to welcome Tia to our family and look forward to watching how her dancing will continue to make cancer a disease of the past. We are thrilled for the upcoming year and know that both women embody the four points of the Miss America crown: service, style, scholarship, and success.”
Larkin Mainwaring and Noelle Schnacky, both age 17, were crowned Miss Gainesville’s Teen and Miss Ocala’s Teen, respectively.
Mainwaring, a singer, was first runner-up to Miss Florida’s Teen last year. She works to promote her non-profit, Not Invisible Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, in the community, bringing attention to an often life-altering condition.
Schnacky is a dancer and earned first runner-up in Miss Gainesville’s Teen 2023.