LEWISBURG — A Bucknell University student will participate in the 2009 Miss Central Pennsylvania Scholarship Pageant on Sunday at Lewistown Area High School, a qualifying competition leading to the Miss Pennsylvania Pageant.

Casey Bryant, 20, of Linthicum, Md., a senior at Bucknell — where she is triple majoring in political science, Latin American studies, and Spanish — will compete with 10 other young women for the Miss Central Pennsylvania and Miss Greater Juniata Valley titles.

The two young women chosen for these titles will go on to the Miss Pennsylvania competition in Pittsburgh during the last week of June, according to John Metzger, executive director of Miss Central Pennsylvania Scholarship Organization.

Bryant’s platform for the pageant is to raise awareness about the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. During her freshman year at Bucknell, she founded the Relay for Life organization at the university. That first year, the campus effort raised $58,000. To date, the team has collected more than $250,000. Bryant is currently serving as National Relay for Life Chair for Colleges Against Cancer.

“This is a great opportunity to talk about the things I’ve been involved in on campus, and promote opportunities for other youths to be engaged as well,” Bryant said.

The pageant will consist of an interview with the judges, and swimwear, evening gown and talent competitions. Bryant’s talent performance will be baton twirling to the song of “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend.”

Bryant has a lot of experience in baton twirling, and has learned to keep her nerves in check, but the event on Sunday is her first exposure to this kind of competition.

To be eligible to compete for the Miss Central Pennsylvania Scholarship Pageant, the young women must be between the ages of 17 and 24; raise at least $100 in charitable donations for the Children’s Miracle Network; and be residents of Pennsylvania, or attending college or working full-time in Pennsylvania.

There are 24 title competitions in Pennsylvania. Each winner will proceed to the Miss Pennsylvania pageant and receive $1,000, which must be used toward education, in addition to the crown, flowers, and sash. The money and other gifts are donated by past title holders, businesses and civic organizations.