Following the competition heats at the weekend, Miss Schofield qualified for the state competition held on Wednesday, April 16 at Sydney's Doltone House.

The 19-year-old competed against about 30 other women for the chance to represent New South Wales at the national round and possibly be crowned the next Miss Universe Australia.

The competition results for the state round were not known at the time of print.

The broadcast journalism student said she was just happy to have progressed this far in the competition and hoped it would help progress her career in the media industry.

"It's really exciting to be part of the state competition, I didn't expect to be chosen at all," she said.

"I'm really hopeful that I'll make it to the next round but if that doesn't happen, I'm happy to have been part of something like this.

"I've met some great people. I thought it would be a really catty environment but everyone is actually pretty great."

Miss Schofield, who has had previous modelling experience, said she was considering pursuing it more seriously with recent offers from international agencies.

"This is a really wonderful opportunity for me and I've had a great time," she said.

"Being part of the Miss Universe competition is something I've always dreamed about even as a little girl."