It’s been a whirlwind week for Taylor Blatchford, the reigning Miss Nevada who was crowned just last Friday and is the first Boulder City resident to be so recognized!! She will be competing in the Miss America pageant as Nevada’s contestant and we were able to catch up with her and find out a little bit more about this remarkable young woman. The Miss Nevada crown is unique in that it is comprised of four symbolic points on the crown. These points represent the four important traits of all of the Miss America titleholders: service, style, scholarship, and success. We talked to her about these components and how she represents them in her daily life.
Taylor is the eldest daughter of Doug and Cindy Blatchford and has one younger sister, Hope. She a lifelong Boulder City resident and attended Grace Christian Academy before advancing to Las Vegas Academy for her high school years. Upon graduation, she attended the University of Alabama and graduated with a Masters Degree in Advertising. She currently works at Wicked Creative, one of the top boutique advertising agencies in Las Vegas.
She has been competing in the Miss America program since the age of 14. They have a teen division for girls ages 13-18, which is a precursor to the Miss Nevada pageant program for young women. Partially through her participation in the Miss America pageant series, she was able to earn enough in scholarships to graduate from college debt free!
Last year, she created a non-profit program called Text 2 Regret. This program has placed a online safety curriculum in each of the Southern Nevada Boys and Girls Clubs. As a teen, Taylor experienced online pressure and realized this was an area where she could be a strong advocate and role model for boys and girls in her community. She has partnered with Cyber Civics to produce a digital literacy program for young people and this is her service platform. This is an important issue that many children face today. The Text 2 Regret program received an official proclamation by Alabama Governor Kay Ivey on April 16, 2021 as Text 2 Regret Day, recognizing Taylor’s ongoing educational efforts. She is available for speaking engagements about the program by contacting her HERE. Her goal as Miss Nevada is to expand the program to all the Nevada Boys and Girls Clubs.
Taylor is an accomplished violinist who has been playing since she was 4. She credits her father, Doug, with introducing her to the instrument. For the talent portion of the pageant, she plays an upbeat song called “Millionaire’s Hoedown”. She has been receiving further violin instruction from Dr. Linda Rodgers, an instructor at the Nevada School of Arts, since 2016.
In addition to her family, Taylor is extremely grateful for the support of her community. She’s proud to represent Boulder City and its residents. She carries the “Boulder City spirit” with her as she carries out her duties as Miss Nevada. Her family attends St Andrew’s Catholic Church and the congregation were some of the first people to congratulate her parents last Sunday (Taylor was still in Northern Nevada wrapping up her exciting weekend!).
You will see Taylor, and her Miss Teen Nevada counterpart, Bella Hawkins, in the 75th Annual Damboree Parade on Tuesday. Be sure to cheer loudly for our Miss Nevada as she rides in the parade! We wish her all the best as she assumes the duties of Miss Nevada and represents our state in the upcoming Miss America pageant. You can follow her on Facebook HERE and on Instagram HERE.
