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Hampton Bays resident Tara Lauther was the valedictorian of her high school class and earned her bachelors degree two years early from CW Post-Long Island University, where she was a member of the equestrian team. She is planning to head to medical school, but first she will compete for the title of Miss New York at a beauty pageant in Purchase, New York, in early August.
Hampton Bays resident Tara Lauther was the valedictorian of her high school class and earned her bachelors degree two years early from CW Post-Long Island University, where she was a member of the equestrian team. She is planning to head to medical school, but first she will compete for the title of Miss New York at a beauty pageant in Purchase, New York, in early August.
Hampton Bays resident Tara Lauther was the valedictorian of her high school class and earned her bachelors degree two years early from CW Post-Long Island University, where she was a member of the equestrian team. She is planning to head to medical school, but first she will compete for the title of Miss New York at a beauty pageant in Purchase, New York, in early August.
Hampton Bays resident Tara Lauther was the valedictorian of her high school class and earned her bachelors degree two years early from CW Post-Long Island University, where she was a member of the equestrian team. She is planning to head to medical school, but first she will compete for the title of Miss New York at a beauty pageant in Purchase, New York, in early August.
Hampton Bays resident Tara Lauther was the valedictorian of her high school class and earned her bachelors degree two years early from CW Post-Long Island University, where she was a member of the equestrian team. She is planning to head to medical school, but first she will compete for the title of Miss New York at a beauty pageant in Purchase, New York, in early August.
Tara Lauther describes herself as the type of person who “loves to try everything” and put her “best foot forward” in all that she does.
It’s the main reason why the 19-year-old Hampton Bays resident decided to compete for the title of Miss New York USA 2023, and a chance to represent her state at the 2023 Miss USA pageant.
Lauther will join several other young hopefuls competing August 4 to 6 at the Performing Arts Center at Purchase College, hoping to earn the pageant crown and a chance to be the New York representative in the national competition.
The role that beauty pageants play in society, and the culture surrounding them, has evolved, to a certain degree, over the years, and the value for young women in participating in them varies depending on who’s being asked. What’s clear, however, is that Lauther has been uncommonly motivated for someone her age, and has the kind of determination and drive to succeed that will make her stand out among her peers.
Lauther was the valedictorian and class president when she graduated from Hampton Bays High School in 2021, and not only earned her high school diploma that year but also found enough time to finish the school year with an associate degree from Suffolk County Community College as well.
The pandemic led to the cancellation of most extracurricular activities for high school students, and Lauther decided to fill the extra hours she had on her hands by taking online classes at Suffolk. Combined with Advanced Placement-level classes, she was already taking at Hampton Bays, Lauther managed to earn her associate degree in short order. Doing things ahead of time became a theme — Lauther recently graduated two years early from C.W. Post-Long Island University with her bachelor’s degree in health sciences, and is planning on going to medical school next.
After graduating from high school, Lauther was able to pursue extracurricular activities again, and made the most of that return to normalcy. She served as an intern on the Wyandanch Community Advisory Board, joined the Alpha Xi Delta sorority at Post, was president of the Beta Beta Beta Biological Honors Society, and volunteered at Northwell Huntington Hospital.
Lauther even became a Division I athlete during her time at Post, joining the university’s equestrian team.
Competing in a pageant is something Lauther said had been on her radar for a few years, and she decided to pursue it after graduating with her bachelor’s degree from Post.
“It’s something that has been circling my world,” she said. “I was a dancer for 14 years, and those worlds come across one another. Now that I’m actually trying it, I’m really looking forward to it.”
The Miss USA competition includes the traditional competition categories of evening gown, swimsuit, a dance routine and an interview portion, and Lauther described what she said contestants are told that the judges will be looking for.
“They’re not judging the gown but the girl in the gown,” she said. “How you carry yourself, how poised you are, if you’re able to be confident on stage. The swimsuit portion is also about confidence and how you carry yourself, more than about your physique.”
The interview portion is key as well, and contestants choose a specific area of focus to speak about during that portion, to showcase their intelligence, their ability to speak eloquently and in a clear, concise manner about something they’re passionate about. For Lauther, that’s community health.
“My platform will be speaking about community health, and reducing health disparities among different populations,” she said.
She’s already engaged in that kind of work through her position with the Wyandanch Community Advisory Board, where she said she’s working with others to assess the needs of children in particular, and how they are affected by food insecurity.
“Health is a continuity that unites us all as people,” she said. “Despite this, all people don’t have access to affordable health care, and not all physicians are educated about all groups of people, like the elderly or the LGBTQ community.”
Lauther’s ultimate career goal is to become a cardiologist, a path she said she was motivated to pursue because her father, Michael Lauther, has coronary artery disease. Lauther has been curious about a wide range of issues and disciplines that fall under the broad category of health and medicine. During her freshman year at Post, she studied bone growth and regeneration in the veterinary medicine field, and she’s done volunteer work at both Peconic Bay Medical Center and at Northwell Huntington Hospital, which she said gave her a great introduction to emergency room medicine.
“It made me realize the resilience of ER doctors and nurses,” she said.
While a future as a cardiologist is on Lauther’s mind, she is also keeping her options open. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in health administration as part of an accelerated program where she is taking classes remotely, to gain an introduction into the business side of the health and hospital field.
Whether it’s taking classes in a wide range of areas related to the health industry, earning degrees early, or walking on to a collegiate equestrian team despite never having taken formal riding lessons in the past, Lauther said she is always open to and intrigued by the idea of trying something new or different. She credits her parents for always showing up for her and supporting her in whatever she has wanted to do, and encouraging her to put her education first.
She also has the support of several sponsors who are supporting her as she prepares for the pageant, including 5 Star Auto Center, iScribeMD, Sybil’s, and TMT Realty NY Corp.
Lauther said she knows that beauty pageants have a complicated legacy, and that many people have mixed feelings about their place in modern society, but she said her experience thus far has been nothing but positive.
“Each pageant system is different and has its own values,” she said. “I can only speak for my experience, and it’s been a very empowering and challenging experience. I’m in this to challenge myself to be my best version of myself in body and mind, but I also understand that in some pageants, there is a typical woman they are looking for that isn’t always representative of the entire population. But even just from going to orientation a few weeks ago, I’ve met lawyers, environmental activists, and more. I think, so far, I’ve really been encouraged to be me, and be the best version of myself.”
Cailin Riley on Jul 12, 2023