Miss Mississippi 2011 Mary Margaret Roark’s reign will come to a close tonight and she has some sage advice for her successor.

“Be yourself,” she said. “Being in the Miss America Pageant is not about being the tallest or the thinnest, it’s being the best, you are.”

Roark said after being crowned Miss Mississippi last year it took her a few weeks, maybe a few months of soul searching to truly realize what the title meant.

“There is no cookie cutter image, because what makes the title so unique is that every girl brings something different to the table,” she said.

An average day as Miss Mississippi started at 5 a.m. with a workout, Roark said.

While preparing for the Miss America Pageant she said she traveled all over the state for speaking engagements and spent a lot of time on her wardrobe.