On July 11, Jillian Mars will compete in the preliminary 2025 Miss Collegiate USA national pageant held at the University of Maryland. This pageant recognizes women who are college-bound, currently achieving academic degrees, or seeking assistance with student loan debt.
Mars is the first Miss New Hampshire Collegiate USA to compete at the national level, and the first to represent a community college. She is a New Hampshire resident and student at NHTI-Concord’s Community College. “I picked up pageants at 21 and here I am a few years later in a national pageant as Miss New Hampshire Collegiate USA,” she said.
Since entering her first pageant in 2022, Mars has earned more than $15,000 in pageant scholarships. This funding, combined with other awards, has covered her entire education at NHTI. She expects to graduate debt-free with an associate degree in Marketing in 2026. This will pave the way for her future studies to earn a bachelor’s degree in Sports Management or Business Administration.
Mars enrolled at NHTI when she knew she wanted to earn a college degree but was unsure what she wanted to do career-wise. “I really liked that the Community College System of New Hampshire offered such a wide variety of courses and was a great value. I could just try different things to figure out a career path,” she said.
Since beginning her studies at NHTI in 2022, Mars has served on the Student Senate and received several awards for her leadership and community service. “There is so much room for growth and so many opportunities at community college. I’ve gotten to do so many cool things not only with pageants, but also because of the amazing opportunities at NHTI and being involved with the Student Senate. I’m going to miss NHTI so much when I graduate.”
After the preliminary 2025 Miss Collegiate USA competition, Mars hopes to make it to the finals on July 12.
About NHTI-Concord’s Community College
NHTI is a dynamic public institution of higher learning that provides accessible, rigorous education for students, businesses, and the community. We create pathways for lifelong learning, career advancement, and civic engagement, offering 80+ academic programs to 4,600+ students annually. NHTI is a member of the Community College System of New Hampshire and since 1969 has been accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education, a nongovernmental, nationally recognized accrediting agency.
About CCSNH
The Community College System of NH consists of seven colleges, offering associate degree and certificate programs, professional training, transfer pathways to four-year degrees, and dual-credit partnerships with NH high schools. The System’s colleges are Great Bay Community College in Portsmouth and Rochester; Lakes Region Community College in Laconia; Manchester Community College; Nashua Community College; NHTI – Concord’s Community College; River Valley Community College in Claremont, Lebanon and Keene; and White Mountains Community College in Berlin, Littleton and North Conway. The seven community colleges in the system are committed to working with businesses throughout the state to train and retain employees to develop a robust workforce.
