Miss Hospitality Contestants Visit Forrest General Hospital; Pack Goody Bags for Cancer Center Patients

HATTIESBURG, MS – (July 15, 2025) A group of 47 talented and intelligent young women from across the state who are competing for the title of 2025 Mississippi Miss Hospitality took time out of their busy schedule to visit Forrest General Hospital on Tuesday.

These young women are in town for this year’s state program to crown a 2025 winner during final competition, which begins at 8 pm, Saturday, at the Saenger Theater.

Miss Ellisville, Allie Robinson, and Miss Sumrall, Molly Kate Carley, both had a chance to provide some community service as they gave back during Tuesday’s visit to the hospital. These participants, along with the other contestants, had the opportunity to decorate bags before stuffing them with goodies for patients at the Forrest General Cancer Center. Bags contained items such as candies, granola bars, lotion, socks, beanies, Chap-stick, hand wipes, drinks, blankets, and special notes of encouragement.

Miss Ellisville, who will be a freshman at Jones College, was super excited to pack the goody bags, saying she loves to get out in her community and help the people of Ellisville or in the neighboring community of Hattiesburg. “Today has been a great experience,” she said. “It was wonderful to hear from our speakers and was so encouraging. I can’t wait to take their words back into my community.”

Molly Kate Carley, a student at Mississippi College, enjoyed designing and putting together care packages for the cancer patients. She just wishes she could get to know the patients who will receive the bags. “I really enjoyed hearing from Dr. (Sophy) Mangana (a radiation oncologist at the Cancer Center), who shared about her past life and how she got into the medical field,” Carley said. “It was really awesome to hear how she has used music and art in her medicine, and how being a woman in the medical field, an often intimidating field, she has taken to that role beautifully.”

Forrest General serves as one of the presenting sponsors for the program whose winner will serve as the state’s Goodwill Ambassador for the next year.

The contestants, including 2024 Mississippi Miss Hospitality, Chloe Grace Weeks, the former Miss Winston County, who expressed her interest in the healthcare field during last year’s visit, received a welcome from Millie Swan, Forrest Health vice president.

“Not only are you making lifelong friends this week, but you are making connections you can use in the future,” Swan said. “Something you are doing here today is volunteerism, and that is so important – giving back to your community, making a difference for someone. The care packages you are making for patients at our Cancer Center will make such a difference for so many people who have been given a cancer diagnosis. Remember that as you volunteer. You are making a difference for somebody, just like somebody made a difference for you to be here today.”

Swan introduced radiation oncologist, Sophy Mangana, MD, who talked about balancing her job as a physician, wife, mother, daughter, and friend, and provided tips on making it all work.

“How inspired I am to be standing before a group of young women who are not only ambassadors of hospitality, but also of heart,” Mangana said. “The fact that you are volunteering to make care packages for cancer patients says so much about your character, your compassion and the way you show up for your community. I work with patients who are going through some of the hardest moments of their lives.

“My job is to treat cancer with radiation, but true healing is so much more than that. Growing up I loved science, but I also loved drawing, dancing in my room, and singing. I didn’t know if those passions could live in the same space, but they can. And they do. As a female physician, I had to learn to use my voice, sometimes in rooms where I was the only woman…sometimes in a room where I’m the youngest person, but every step of the way, I’ve learned that strength and softness aren’t opposites. They are partners, and if you hold on to your passion and your purpose, you can do both. So, to you, the young women in this room, no dream is too big, whether you want to be a doctor, a teacher, an artist, or an entrepreneur, don’t wait for someone to hand you permission, you already have it.”

In addition to Dr. Mangana, Shannon Vega, radiology director and FGCC service line administrator, and Kecia Jones-Harris, Cancer Center manager, were on hand to talk with the girls and accept their kind donations.

For more information on Forrest General and its available services, visit forrestgeneral.org.