More than 100 family members, friends and supporters gathered Sunday afternoon at UL’s Alumni Center to wish Miss Louisiana USA, Erin Edmiston, good luck as she heads to New York and then to Las Vegas to compete for the Miss USA title.

Edmiston is scheduled to leave early this morning to fly to New York City to meet Donald Trump, owner of the Miss USA Organization.

Lafayette City-Parish President Joey Durel also joined the celebration to present Erin with an outstanding citizen’s award and a key to the city.

"I’ve tried every door at City Hall, and I haven’t yet found the one it opens," joked Durel. "But I can tell you what it will do. It will open the hearts of everyone in Lafayette for you."

Edmiston’s trip to New York will include several media stops and interviews on national radio shows. So far, it is not known whether she will be featured alone or appear as part of a group.

"They have a media tour planned where she will be on several morning shows including ‘Good Morning America’ and Kelly Ripa’s show," said Edmiston’s mother, Gema. "She is going to have to let me know which ones she is interviewed on or where I can see her. All the girls then have to report to Vegas on May 18."

Gema says that after the New York visit, Edmiston will return to Lafayette briefly before moving into her new temporary home at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.

Edmiston said that despite the very demanding schedule and the fact that the competition is now only days away, she is ready.

"I’m not really nervous yet," she said. "I think on Tuesday, when I’m in New York City and I meet Donald Trump, it’s going to hit me then. But right now I’m just excited to meet all the girls and take advantage of all the opportunities that this will give me."

Edmiston’s unlikely road to the Miss USA crown has been a long one, but not as longtime pageant competitor. In fact, growing up she was always known as something of a tomboy, and relatives and friends who know her say this was the last thing they expected her to do.

"She was always pretty," said family friend Ginger Guillory, "but she never was one that wanted to dress up or put makeup on. In fact, when she first told us she was going to enter the Miss UL pageant, we started laughing. She couldn’t even walk in heels."

Edmiston’s shaky start has become something of a joke among her close friends. But make no mistake, no one in the crowd of well-wishers has any doubt that she will come out on top. Ross Walters is a friend of Edmiston’s brother and a former director of the Miss UL pageant. It was he who first encouraged Edmiston to enter the UL contest and then to go even further and enter Miss Louisiana USA. Now he says he sees a true winner when he reflects on how far Edmiston has come.

"I think she is gonna win. I really do," Walters said. "Nationally, everyone is talking about her and predicting that she will do really well. I think she will definitely make the top 10 and maybe the top five. That’s my prediction."

The last time a Miss Louisiana won the title of Miss USA was in 1996, when Ali Landry of Breaux Bridge won the crown. She has since gone on to have a career in entertainment. Since 1991, only a handful of Miss Louisiana USA winners have made it past the semifinals in the Miss USA competition. The most recent was Lafayette native Elizabeth McNulty in 2007. She finished in the top 15. Many pageant observers say they believe it’s time for Louisiana to have another winner.

"I think she is definitely going to win," said Guillory. "Not only is she beautiful, but she is just more poised than any of the other contestants."

Guillory will join Edmiston’s family and about 40 to 50 other Lafayette residents who plan to travel to Las Vegas to support Erin in her competition. Edmiston says having that kind of support is making all the difference.

"I’m just hoping to go out there and have a great time," she said. "It’s so wonderful to have so many people support me. I can’t thank everyone enough."

Edmiston says supporters can also watch her compete in the preliminaries May 30 on the Miss USA website. If she does well in that, she will then move on to the top 16, or the semifinals, and fans can see her go for the title on June 3 during the nationally televised event on NBC. And, for only the second time in the organization’s history, fans can pick one of the contestants to make it into the top 16 by voting for their favorite online. Voting began May 1 and will continue until the winner is announced June 3.

No matter how she does, however, Edmiston’s family and friends say she has already made them proud just getting this far and representing Louisiana and the Acadiana area so well.

"She is already a winner in our eyes," said Erin’s father David Edmiston. "I am so honored to be her father."

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