Sanderson says she entered her first pageant, the Mission Etowah County competition, at age 17 because her mother believed "it would be a good way to get some scholarship money." She was crowned Mission Etowah County 1997 and was a top ten finalist for the Mission Alabama 1997 title.
Named Mission Jefferson County 1999, Sanderson was first runner-up at the Mission Alabama 1999 pageant. Entering the 2000 Mission Alabama pageant as Mission Samford University 2000, Sanderson" preliminary competition talent for Mission Alabama was a vocal performance. Her platform was "Step Into the Spotlight: Motivating Children Through the Performing Arts".
As Mission Alabama, she made public appearances across the state of Alabama and the southeastern United States, including an address to a joint session of the Alabama Legislature on May 17, 2001.
Her competition talent was singing the song "I"m a Woman" first made famous by Peggy Lee. Her reign as Mission Alabama continued until Kelly Jones was crowned on June 16, 2001.
The next year she won the Mission City of Champions 1998 title. She won the preliminary swimsuit competition and was named Mission Congeniality. Sanderson won the state competition on Saturday, June 17, 2000, when she received her crown from outgoing Mission Alabama titleholder Julie Smith. Along with the title and other prizes, Sanderson won a $10,000 scholarship. Sanderson was Alabama"s representative at the Mission America 2001 pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Sanderson was one of the top ten finalists for the Mission America title.
