Leigh-Taylor Smith is a 23-year-old graduate of the University of Virginia with a Bachelor of Arts in Theater. Originally from Hampton, Virginia, Leigh-Taylor now makes her home in Manhattan where she is employed by Scott Sanders LLC, an interior design firm, as an assistant designer. Competing as Miss Brooklyn at the Miss New York Pageant in July, Leigh-Taylor was a preliminary winner of Physical Fitness in Swimsuit and also took a preliminary Evening Wear award on her way to the state title. In January, at the Miss America Pageant in Las Vegas, she was once again a swimsuit preliminary winner and was named third runner-up to Miss America 2009, bringing the total of scholarship dollars she won in just this past pageant year to $24,000. Following her year of service as Miss New York 2008, she will use her scholarship winnings to pursue a Masters Degree in Interior Design at The Parsons School of Design in New York City and eventually hopes to become the owner of her own interior design firm.
While being an accomplished singer and actor with a long theatrical resume, Leigh-Taylor’s greatest passion is promoting volunteering that changes lives.She created and lobbied for the successful passage of Virginia Senate Bill 751 (relating to a community service high school diploma seal) with members of the Virginia General Assembly, and she has worked with New York Assemblyman Danny O'Donnell to introduce legislative bill A.302 requiring volunteer effort for all New York State high school students. Leigh-Taylor traveled to Africa in 2005 to teach children and adults about HIV/AIDS, and returned there in 2006 to volunteer for the Salvation Army. She helped establish a church in Belize City, Belize, has tutored children, donated 36 inches of her hair to Locks of Love, and with her team raised $58,000 for the 2008 AIDS Walk in New York. Leigh-Taylor has appeared on the CBS Morning Show in conjunction with her participation in the 17th annual New York Cares Day; was a featured speaker at the ServiceNation summit in New York City commemorating the events of September 11, publicly took an HIV-test at the State Capitol in Albany to bring attention to World Aids Day, and was honored to sit at the head table with the Governor of New York, David A. Paterson, when he addressed the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. in July on the state of the economy.
In addition to encouraging people everywhere to participate in community service, Miss New York shares the inspiring message of the Children’s Miracle Network, which provides state-of-the-art care, life-saving research and preventative education for children 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Miss New York also appears on behalf of "Right Decisions Right Now," a program which helps students make good choices in their personal lives, with particular focus on the perils of smoking, underage drinking and drug use.
