Cayce elementary assistant principal wins Mrs. South Carolina

CAYCE, S.C. (WIS) - The contestants for the Mrs. America in August are set. Representing South Carolina is Cayce Elementary assistant principal, Ashley Caulder.

Mrs. America, much like Miss America, is a pageant where one woman represents each state, plus the District of Columbia. 51 married women compete for this title.

Caulder didn’t grow up in the pageant lifestyle.

The Columbia woman didn’t compete until high school. After experiencing success during her time at Airport High School, she realized that her mission could be amplified with pageantry.

“Pageantry is about serving other people,” explained Caulder. “Some people may think the opposite, but that’s not the case at all.”

It is common for pageants to have advocacy sections of the competition, where the contestants must showcase their community work.

“Rather than focusing on my outside appearance, I spent more of my time self-reflecting to prepare for the competition,” said Caulder.

A lot of that self-reflection took place at her work, Cayce Elementary.  When Caulder won Mrs. South Carolina, her students were her biggest supporters.

“We got to have a parade down the hallway with my crown and sash,” she recalls. “The students would say, ‘Hey Mrs. Caulder, can you sign my capri-sun?’”

Outside of the autographs, Ashley was sure to offer something else to her adoring students...something a bit more permanent.

“I always tell any young girl, or teenager, or adult, who wants to do pageantry, ‘Know your why,’” she advised.

For the current Mrs. South Carolina, the ‘why’ became the ‘who’ as she shared her advocacy goals.

Caulder wants to use her national platform to promote child inclusion.  She doesn’t just advocate in the classroom or on the pageant stage.  She most recently attended the Special Olympics State Summer Games at Fort Jackson.

“I was a special education teacher,” she explained. “So, I do a lot of work with Special Olympics. Being there is so uplifting. I encourage anyone who has never experienced the Special Olympics to make an appearance. It’s such a game changer.”

For Mrs. South Carolina, the crown may be on her head, but her heart is worn on her sleeve.

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