As Natchez’s Miss Hospitality, Dupré will be making a commercial about Natchez, highlighting different businesses and community events.
The preliminary competition for the Mississippi Miss Hospitality pageant is set for July 12 through 18, where Dupré will spend a week at the University of Southern Mississippi preparing interviews, speeches, doing community service projects, competing in a dance competition, and more with all other Miss Hospitality honorees from across Mississippi.
“When you meet those people, you’ll be surprised how they will encourage you even though technically you are competing with them,” Bell said to Dupré during Tuesday’s reception. “You’ll be forming bonds that are so important. And know that Natchez is behind you, 100 percent. At the end of the day, it’s all about how you serve this city. We want you to win.”
Dupré said she is honored to represent Natchez, which has been her home since she was in the second grade. Before that, she lived in New Orleans, but her family still lived in Natchez, and she would often visit throughout her childhood.
“Natchez has always been home to me,” she said. “I love that Natchez feels like home, no matter where you come from. My friends and I will go to the bluff and watch the sunsets in the summer. I can see all of them, no matter where I go, because it’s a close, tight-knit community.”
Dupré said she looks forward to learning more about her community as she builds connections with business leaders and represents Natchez’s hospitality at different events.
“I’m mostly excited to see and learn about a lot more in this town, because, as small as people might think Natchez is, it is full of amazing things,” she said.
Dupré is the daughter of Dana and Joel Dupré.
