Like most graduate students, Seyton Thomas’s decision to earn her master’s degree was one influenced by her desire for better career prospects and her hopes to make a difference in the world.
But amid working toward earning a Master of Science in community counseling at RSU, Thomas reached a literal crowning achievement when she was named Miss Oklahoma Collegiate America 2025.
Held Sept. 13-15 in Midwest City, the Miss Oklahoma High School America pageant allowed girls from across the state to compete in multiple divisions – Elementary, Junior High, High School, and Collegiate, the last of these, Thomas won in competition against competitors from across the state.
“I was so honored. You never go into a competition assuming you’re going to win,” she said. “I’ve been a competitor my whole life. I played soccer for 17 years, but you never take for granted that you’re going to win anything. You do your best, you go in prepared, and stay humble, and when you win, that’s just the greatest feeling.”
Originally from Pryor, Seyton (pronounced “Sea-ton”) Thomas grew up in a family that watched Miss America and Miss USA pageants, and her older sister routinely competed in beauty pageants.
“Seeing my sister in the pageantry world inspired me to try it out for myself, so my sophomore year in high school, I was eligible to compete in the Miss Pryor Scholarship Pageant and I was second runner-up that year,” she said. “That’s where it all started. After that first competition, I was hooked.”
The following year, Thomas competed again in the Miss Pryor pageant – again winning second runner-up, but by her senior year, she won the title – her first of several to follow.
Since then, Thomas has continued to compete in beauty pageants – winning the titles of Miss Owasso and Miss Huckleberry (from Jay) and competing at the Miss Oklahoma Pageant – while earning her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Oklahoma State University.
“My platform (at the beauty pageants) was always about volunteerism, always about the importance of helping other people,” she said. “I went through a lot when I was growing up, especially in middle school, but my teachers and the adults around me introduced me to volunteerism and community service. I learned that helping others and investing in other people can be healing, not just for them, but for yourself.
“That’s why community service and volunteerism are my platforms, because both are so important to me,” she said. “It’s my goal to be able to give back tenfold from what I’ve received from other people over the years.”
Thomas said she chose to continue her education at RSU because of the university’s quality programs, specifically, its Master of Science in community counseling program, and because of its size relative to her hometown of Pryor.
“When I step on RSU’s campus, I don’t feel like I’m just another student or just another student ID number,” she said. “It feels like my professors and the staff here care about me, about my journey, and they want to do everything they can to help me achieve my goals.”
Slated to complete her master’s degree in the spring 2026 semester, Thomas said she hopes to one day be a college professor herself, continuing to use her pageant competitions as her platform to espouse the virtues of impacting the world through volunteerism and community service.
Thomas’s next beauty contest will be the national Miss Collegiate America Pageant, to take place in June 2025 in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Until then, she plans to continue her studies at RSU while giving back and volunteering every chance she can.
“I’ve been able to do some work with Tulsa Day Center. That’s a great organization, but I’m always looking for the chance to give my time, to give of myself to help others,” she said. “I’ve received a lot of help along the way, and giving back, helping others is such an important part of who I am.”
To follow Thomas’s pageant competitions, follow her on Instagram @seytonthomas.