Spokane’s Miss Washington is ‘ready for a promotion’ as Amber Pike heads to Florida to compete for Miss America crown

Amber Pike’s journey to Miss America has been a long time coming. But also, not as long as you might think.

Rather than going the “Toddlers and Tiaras” route and entering pageants as a child, Pike didn’t compete in her first pageant until she was 19 years old. Instead, while growing up, her parents put her in a variety of extracurricular activities, including violin, piano and musical theater.

After high school, Pike, who was born and raised in Alaska, moved to Spokane to attend Gonzaga University where she switched majors from music education to business administration. As a freshman, Pike decided to try the Miss Spokane pageant. She didn’t place but became hooked on pageants even still.

“It definitely can be stressful, but it is so much fun, especially when you’re competing with a wonderful and kind group of women,” she said. “I’ve always had nothing but positive experiences at every single level, whether that be a local competition, Miss Spokane, or at Miss Washington.”

After taking a break during COVID, Pike decided to enter an open sweeper competition in 2022, which Pike said is a contestant’s last chance to make it to Miss Washington.

Eight contestants were crowned during this competition, including Pike as Miss Tahoma. She competed at Miss Washington but didn’t place.

Her plan was to go back to the Miss Spokane pageant until Regan Gallo-Fenz, a friend who had been named Miss Pierce County and went on to win Miss Washington, told Pike she should compete for Miss Pierce County.

When she wasn’t in Spokane for school, Pike lived in Snohomish, so she was eligible to enter the pageant.

“She said ‘I think these people can really help you out,’ ” Pike said. “She saw the potential in me when I didn’t see it, because that first year at Miss Washington, I did not place, I did not make top 10, and I was just happy to be there. I knew I wasn’t going to place, but I was there for the experience. But she saw that potential in me.”

Pike was treating the competition as preparation for Miss Spokane, but she ended up being named Miss Pierce County. That year, Pike was named the first runner-up at Miss Washington.

The next year, Pike, again seeing the pageant as preparation for Miss Spokane, entered and won the Miss East Cascades pageant. She again became the first runner-up at Miss Washington.

Pike was always content with the outcome, as Miss Washington is a full-time job, and she was finishing up her master’s degree at Gonzaga. In her last year of school, Pike felt like it was finally time for her to return to the Miss Spokane pageant.

She competed and won. In July, in her fourth time at the state pageant, Pike was crowned Miss Washington.

“It’s very full circle to win Miss Washington as Miss Spokane,” she said. “Miss Spokane had always been that dream local title being from Gonzaga for six years, I’ve always wanted it so I’m so glad it worked out the way it did.”

In each of her pre-Miss Washington titles, Pike wanted to keep as busy as possible and attend as many events in the community as she could. While as Miss East Cascades, for example, Pike estimates she traveled more than 5,000 miles across the state.

Pike said it was nice to visit so many local businesses and organizations as Miss Spokane. She also hosted “Lunchtime with Miss Spokane” during which she would visit different schools and eat lunch with the students.

After being crowned Miss Washington, her focus expanded to include the entire state. Part of her state title prize package included an apartment in Olympia, so she is now based there but still makes her way to Spokane. She recently performed the national anthem on violin, which she plays for the talent portion of her pageants, at a Spokane Indians baseball game.

“I’ve been able to experience both spectrums of smaller events and big, giant events,” she said. “That’s something that’s been such a blessing as Miss Washington is to be able to experience impacting and talking and connecting with smaller or bigger audiences.”

As the Miss Washington pageant is held just two months before the Miss America pageant, Pike had to switch her focus to the national competition almost immediately.

She took her Miss Washington portrait for Miss America the day after she was crowned and continued interview practice to prepare for the preliminary question, which will be about her community service initiative, “Asthma Awareness: Strong Lung, Strong Life,” and the on-stage question for contestants in the finals, which will be about the Miss America organization.

The pageant, which is being held Sunday in Orlando, Florida, also features portions focused on talent, evening gown and athletic wear.

Pike isn’t letting the extra pressure that comes with the national stage get to her. The state title was always her goal, she said, so if she doesn’t get the Miss America crown, she’s excited to return home and continue her work as Miss Washington.

“I just think ‘I’m up for a promotion. We’ll see if I get the promotion, and if not, I still have a really, really cool job,’ ” she said.

After her reign as Miss Washington, Pike, who has earned more than $28,000 in scholarship money, during her time with pageants, plans to return to school and earn a Ph.D. in marketing. She hopes to then become a professor.

Pike has nothing but positive things to say about her pageant experience, but she regrets that she didn’t get involved with pageants as a teen. The scholarship money is a great benefit, but she has also formed lasting friendships and developed public speaking and professional development skills.

Even if someone isn’t interested in making it all the way to a state or national title, Pike said the benefits of making friends, gaining confidence and coming out of your shell are still worth it.

“I really think there is something for everybody within this organization,” she said. “If you’re a young woman and you’ve thought about it, you have nothing to lose. Give it a shot.”

The Miss America competition will be available to watch live at 4 p.m. Sunday on YouTube and pageantvision.com.