‘When glasses no longer do the trick’: Miss Kansas taking passion for sight national
Courtney Wages says when she was in elementary school, everyone noticed the little girl in glasses who had to finish worksheets instead of playing at recess and didn’t advance grades with her classmates.
The other students didn’t understand why the girl had to stay behind.
“She got held back three years,” Wages recalled.
When she was 9 or 10, Wages began to realize the girl “was falling short of the same opportunities other kids were being given.” The problem, she would later learn, was an outdated vision prescription.
“She had never gotten that annual eye care check up,” Wages said.
Over the years, the girl’s struggles resonated with Wages so much that it influenced everything from which sorority she joined in college to where she volunteered and her current career:
She’s a proud Delta Gamma, which supports as its philanthropic cause schools and organizations for blind and visually impaired people. While a fine arts student at Wichita State University, she donated time to Envision, a nonprofit that helps people who are blind and visually impaired. Two years ago, Envision hired her as its community outreach manager.
Now, Wages is taking her passion for sight front and center on another stage — The Miss America competition.
“I’m really excited,” Wages said.
This past summer, Wages won the annual Miss Kansas contest, an achievement and scholarship program for women ages 18 to 28.
The 24-year-old Midwest City, Oklahoma, native said she made sure every aspect of her showing at the pageant had blind and visually impaired people in mind.
Her clothing was made of tactile materials. She tap danced for her talent because it “is the one form of dance that is audible,” she explained. Her community service initiative is called “One Vision is Not the Only Vision: Eye See You,” which she hopes will help make the public more aware of vision problems and solutions.
In addition to holding an eyeglasses drive with the Lion’s Club and fulfilling various speaking engagements during her one-year Miss Kansas reign, Wages also plans to talk with legislators and others who can make eye care more accessible, showing teachers how to recognize vision issues in students and discussing ways technology can help.
“She’s very motivated, eager and willing to work and wants to leave a legacy,” said Stephanie Harris, the booking manager and a board member for the Miss Kansas Organization, adding that vision awareness is a somewhat unusual platform for a Miss Kansas contestant.
No one except Wages has advocated for it on the Miss Kansas stage in at least 20 years, she said.
In January, Wages will compete in the Miss America competition, where she hopes her voice will help others avoid the same struggles her childhood classmate faced.
The Miss America and Miss America Teen’s competitions are scheduled Jan. 6-14 in Orlando, Florida. The crownings will take place Jan. 13 and Jan. 14.
“I think everyone needs an equal opportunity in the classroom because if you can’t get your education, that’s going to hold you back in the workforce and then that’s going to impact our economy,” she said.
Around 80,000 Kansans live with blindness or some sort of visual impairment that can’t be corrected with eyeglasses or medications.
“It’s when glasses no longer do the trick,” Wages explained.
This year was Wages’ fourth time competing for the Miss Kansas crown. She participated in her first state competition in 2019, after winning WSU’s Miss Black and Gold competition the prior year.
A sorority sister signed her up for Miss Black and Gold “for something fun for me to do,” even though she had no experience with pageants, she said.
“I literally wore my prom dress. I did a dance routine from high school. And I ended up winning, which was crazy.”
Wages competed for the Miss Kansas title again in 2021 and won third runner up. She was named second runner up in 2022.
On June 10, she won the 84th Miss Kansas crown.
Wages has championed services for people who are blind or visually impaired throughout.
“When I started competing in 2018, I realized this is going to be a long journey because people just don’t understand how important it is to advocate for vision awareness,” she said, adding: “I’m really excited to bring that to the Miss America stage.”
This story was originally published November 5, 2023 at 5:21 AM.
