She’s just a beauty queen, you might think. She’s just a pretty face. (And she is pretty.) But there’s more to this year’s Miss Murray, Allysa Sullivan, than meets the eye.

There are five pillars to the Miss America (Miss Murray) contest: Style, Success, Service, Scholarship and Sisterhood...but Service is at the core of the crown, at least for Sullivan.

She has encountered challenges and has risen to meet them, inspiring her to give back to others, or to serve.

Service 

While in high school, Sullivan developed an eating disorder which affected her mental health, leading her to suicidal thoughts. Fortunately, when her need was greatest, she found the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

“When I first called for help, I was looking for someone to talk to, to vent,” Sullivan said. “They listened while I told them what was going on and what I was struggling with. They heard me and [the online crisis workers] taught me skills to monitor and improve my own mental health.”

And now, Sullivan is now a certified crisis worker, herself, and volunteers at the 988 Crisis Lifeline four hours a week.

As Miss Murray, her official community service initiative for 2024-25 is “Let’s Talk Suicide,” a program intended to reduce stigma around mental illness. As such, she’s created a presentation with state officials to talk with students and teachers, with the hope of presenting at all Murray School District schools.

“I talk about steps everyone can take, from teachers to friends, to peers, when dealing with someone in crisis,” Sullivan said. “Basically: ask, listen and refer. I like to think it’s really that simple. Notice others and have the courage to ask, or to say something.” 

Even for younger children, Sullivan plans to reach out about caring for minds and bodies.

“Mental healthcare can start as early as preschool,” Sullivan said. “Recently, I presented at a Little Miss Murray Camp for girls ages six to 11 years old and we made charms with affirmations like, ‘I am enough,’ ‘I deserve to be happy,’ so they can look at them when they are feeling overwhelmed.”

Scholarship, Sisterhood & Sash

Her schooling also plays into her passion for service. Currently, she’s at the University of Utah and will receive her bachelor’s in social work, with an intention of continuing for her master’s in the same field.

“If you were to ask me about my five- or 10-year plan, I hope to work officially for the crisis lifeline. But when I dream bigger,” Sullivan said, “I would like to work in policy making with lobbying and funding, to secure more resources, which will trickle down to a greater number of individuals.”

Even with all the serious parts of serving, Sullivan is still Miss Murray, a pageant title holder, and once or twice a week she wears a sash.

So far this year she has been in eight or nine parades. “Basically, every Saturday in June and July,” Sullivan laughed. 

She and her attendants are given dresses to wear of dusty blue and yellow, which complements the flowers on the Murray City float. She loves sharing the spirit of Murray with other communities around the state, but she especially loves meeting and interacting with members of the Murray community, itself. “The people who make Murray, Murray.”

She also loves her community of “sash sisters,” other Miss Murray contestants, prior winners, and title holders from other cities. “It’s like I have 10 new best friends.”

Thus far, Sullivan has earned about $4,000 from the competition, to be used in an educational manner, in her case college tuition. Then in June 2025, she will compete in the Miss Utah Pageant as a representative of Murray, against 50 other young women, with an opportunity to earn additional scholarship money. 

Style & Stats

Aside from being Miss Murray, Sullivan is a classical pianist, a competitive dancer, and was the head captain for the Murray High drill team. She served a year-long mission to Japan for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

She is also the first Asian American Miss Murray, as her mother is from Japan and her father is from Houston. 

Her parents met while at the University of Utah. Though her mother wasn’t a member of the church when she came to school in the states, her parents had heard that Utah was a safe place for young women to study abroad. They thought she’d attend BYU, instead she chose the University of Utah. Her father had served a mission in Japan and saw her mother one day across a crowded bus. He dared her to go on a date with him if he could name the Japanese song she was listening to. He got it right, and the rest is history.

Though Sullivan spent her childhood years in neighboring Taylorsville, one of her favorite childhood memories is playing in Murray Park. “Even as a 6 year old I felt like the kids in Murray were so friendly,” Sullivan said. “I think it’s the essence of what Murray is.” 

Connect with Allysa Sullivan at @missmurrayut on Instagram. λ