Zoe Johnson crowned as Miss Hard Work U. at College of the Ozarks 2024 Homecoming Honors Ceremony

POINT LOOKOUT, MO. — Zoe Johnson of Carthage, Missouri, was chosen as Miss Hard Work U. during the College of the Ozarks 2024 Homecoming Honors Ceremony on Oct. 31. This year’s theme was Grateful Hearts Gather Here.

Johnson is a senior nursing major and works in the Armstrong McDonald Nursing Clinic as a medical assistant in the pharmacy. After graduating from College of the Ozarks, she plans to become a medical missionary overseas. 

Johnson’s court included first runner-up Abigail Mugabi, sophomore nursing major, of Kampala, Uganda, and Kigali, Rwanda. The second runner-up was Morgan Wood, senior accounting major, of Kearney, Missouri.

Thirty-nine C of O workstations nominated candidates for Miss Hard Work U. The candidates worked together to host “What Not to Wear,” an event serving female students at the College by providing tips on how to dress for different body types, skin tones, hair colors, and more. The event was sponsored by the Vanek Center for Vocation and Callings and included a free fashion consultation from Dillard’s personnel.

Votes by the student body determined the top 10 candidates from the workstation nominations. Then, the top five were selected based on a culmination assessment of the student body votes, essay responses, and panel interviews. These candidates answered questions onstage during the Honors Ceremony in front of judges and the student body. The judges crowned Miss Hard Work U. and her court based upon the previous culmination of scores and the impromptu Q & A. The top three received a scholarship for their outstanding representation of the College.

For more information, contact Public Relations Director Valorie Coleman at (417) 690-2212.

About College of the Ozarks

College of the Ozarks is a private, Christian, liberal arts college, located in Point Lookout, Missouri, on a 1,000-acre campus. Christian values, hard work, and fiscal responsibility comprise the fundamental building blocks of the “Hard Work U.” experience. The College earns numerous accolades yearly, including No. 2 Best Performers on Social Mobility-Regional Colleges in the Midwest and No. 4 Best Regional College in the Midwest by U.S. News & World Report for 2024-2025 and No. 3 Best Bang for the Buck by Washington Monthly, 2024. To achieve its vision, the College pursues academic, vocational, Christian, patriotic, and cultural goals. These goals are mirrored in School of the Ozarks, a laboratory school that completes the K-college model.

The Keeter Center — the College’s award-winning lodge, restaurant, and conference facility — earns awards consistently, including the TripAdvisor Best of the Best Award 2024 and the Readers’ Choice Awards 2023 from ConventionSouth magazine. The Keeter Center features historic lodging, fine dining, and meeting rooms. With more than 350 student workers, it is the largest workstation on campus.