Shelby County resident prepares for Miss America

Sometimes the fourth time is a charm. 

After finishing in the top 12 once and being named first runner up twice, Shelby County native Callie Walker was crowned Miss Alabama in June, in her fourth time competing in the statewide pageant.

“I have never felt more prepared for the pageant than I was this year,” Walker said.  

When her name was announced as the winner, she was crowned by her friend, former Miss Alabama Jessica Proctor. 

This year’s pageant had a much better ending than last year. When Proctor was announced as the winner in 2017, both she and Walker bent down in excitement and when they stood back up, Proctor’s head hit Walker’s nose. Walker said she was dazed and felt her nose was beginning to bleed before she ran off stage. 

“I don’t really remember that night,” Walker said. “I was just hoping I didn’t take away from Jessica’s moment. After last year, I almost didn’t compete again, but it ended up working out how it was supposed to. I’m glad I’ve had my mom [Angela Tower Walker, Miss Alabama 1985], who has walked in these shoes, make me feel more comfortable taking on this position.” 

Her next stop will be representing the state in the Miss America pageant in Atlantic City on Sept. 9.

Walker grew up in the Meadowbrook community and attended Oak Mountain schools, where she was part of the drama and show choir programs. She graduated from Oak Mountain High School in 2015. She began her pageant career at age 13 through the Miss Alabama Outstanding Teen program, winning the pageant in 2012 and following in the footsteps of her mom and her older sister Scarlett. 

Walker just completed her junior year at the University of Alabama, where she is majoring in musical theatre. 

Since winning Miss Alabama, she has to take a year off school and will return in fall 2019 to finish her senior year. 

Although Walker has only been acting for four years, she is no stranger to the stage. She began dancing at age 3, taught by her mother, a ballet teacher at Birmingham Dance Theatre in Hoover. 

“Since my mom was already a dance teacher, and my older sister danced as well, it was a natural path,” Walker said. “Even when I got to the age where I was more independent, dance was a natural fit for me.”

Walker got plenty of practice being on stage through competitive dance and recitals. She has done many types of dance, but says her favorite is ballet. 

“Along with the discipline, ballet is the basis for all other dances,” she said. “Having good set of technical skills prepares you to be well rounded in the other facets of dance.”

Walker’s mom has always choreographed her pageant routines and her Miss Alabama performance is no exception. She danced to “The Hoe-Down” from the ballet “Rodeo.” 

“I have done the same piece every year for Miss Alabama and have always won the talent competition,” she said. “If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it. I love that piece and it’s a lot of fun. My mom created my costume, as well.”

Walker is also a talented singer and has a love of a variety of music that comes from her parents. 

“People ask why I don’t sing for the talent competition,” she said. “It’s not that I’m not comfortable singing, I’m just more comfortable and confident in my dancing and I want to put my best self forward.”

During her reign as Miss Alabama, Walker will travel the state doing public speaking engagements, making appearances at events and emceeing pageants around the state. Her platform, “Let’s Talk Trash: Green Kids for a Green Planet,” focuses on the three R’s of sustainability — reduce, reuse, recycle — and creating good stewards of the planet for years to come. “I go into elementary schools and speak with students and do recycling crafts, which is one of my favorite things to do to get their minds rolling,” Walker said. “I let them know that doing little things makes a difference.”

Walker’s platform is personal to her and she feels like it’s not discussed enough. She also started a glass recycling project in her neighborhood. When Walker has free time, she enjoys listening to podcasts (conspiracy theories, female criminals and haunted places) and spending time with her friends. 

To prepare for the Miss America competition, Walker said she will continue to work out and practice a healthy lifestyle. She will also be spending time in the dance studio working on her routine. 

Walker plans to follow in her sister’s footsteps and move to New York after graduation. She hopes to perform on Broadway in the future.