MAY 21, 2024:
Twenty young women– including one from Pierre– will showcase their talents, fitness, public speaking skills, poise and stage presence in the 77th annual Miss South Dakota competition, taking place in Brookings May 30, 31 and June 1, 2024.
Ranging in age from 19 to 25 and representing hometowns from throughout the state, they will compete for over $50,000 in cash and scholarships and the role of Miss South Dakota. The new Miss South Dakota will take home at least $11,000 in scholarships and awards and will represent South Dakota at the Miss America competition.
The preliminary competitions will be 6:30 p.m., Thursday, May 30, and Friday, May 31. The final competition will take place at 6:30 p.m., Saturday, June 1. The Miss South Dakota’s Teen competition will be held in conjunction with the Miss competition Thursday and Friday evenings, with the new Miss South Dakota’s Teen being crowned at the conclusion of Friday’s event.
All competitions are at the Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center on the South Dakota State University campus in Brookings. The competition finals on Saturday will be available on livestream. Ticket information for in-person events as well as the livestream available at https://www.misssd.org/.
The pageant will feature Miranda O’Bryan, Miss South Dakota 2023. Miranda represented South Dakota at the Miss America competition in January 2023 in Orlando, FL. She spent the year advocating for her community service initiative, “Page Turners: Fall in Love with Reading.”
The candidates will be judged on a private interview with the judges (30%), talent/HERStory™ (20%), health and fitness (20%) evening gown (20%) and on-stage conversation (10%).
The young women competing are (name, age, title, hometown, talent, and community service initiative):
- McKayla Gunderson, 22, Miss Missouri River, Pierre, Talent: HERStory™, Community Service Initiative: 16; Working Towards Success
- Breanna Bossman, 22, Miss Sioux Falls, Humboldt, Talent: Dance, Community service initiative: Meet the Need: Blood Shortage Awareness
- Emily Deinken, 25, Miss State Fair, Sioux Falls, Talent: Flute, Community service initiative: Advocate for Educators
- Jamee Kattner, 20, Miss Prairie Pasque, Huron, Talent: Vocal, Community service initiative: Spreading Joy Through Music: Music Makes for Monumental Moments
- Javonte Madsen, 20, Miss Rapid City, Rapid City, Talent: HERStory™, Community service initiative: Why Fit in When You Were Born to Stand Out?
- Jensine Matson, Miss Clay County Fair, 20, Ramona, Talent: HERStory™, Community service initiative: Speak Your Power: Childhood Trauma Awareness
- Joelle Simpson, Miss Rolling Plains, 20, Rapid City, Talent: Harp, Community service initiative: Nurturing Nature
- Jordan Wagner, Miss McCrory Gardens, 19, Bridgeport, NE, Talent: Monologue, Community service initiative: Agriyouth: The Next Generation of Agriculture
- Julia Stanek, Miss Huron, 20, Sioux Falls, Talent: HERStory™, Community service initiative: Eliminating Hunger
- Kamella Kopp, Miss Central States Fair, 19, Yankton, Talent: Poetry, Community service initiative: Blankets with Love
- Katie Milbrandt, Miss Hub City, 22, Brookings, Talent: Gymnastics, Community service initiative: Speak Up: Stopping the Stigma by Starting the Conversation
- Madisen Vetter, 20, Miss Dakota Prairie, Aberdeen, Talent: Vocal, Community service initiative: Miss…Representation
- Maleah Eschenbaum, 24, Miss Siouxland, Aberdeen, Talent: American Sign Language Interpretation, Community service initiative: More Than Looks
- Megan Rezac, 20, Miss SDSU, Springfield, NE, Talent: Opera, Community Service Initiative: Disability Advocacy and Accessibility
- Olivia Granaas, 22, Miss Fall River Balloon Festival, Vermillion, Talent: Dance, Community service initiative: Ears For Education
- Rio Snyder, 19, Miss USD, Black Hawk, Talent: Dance, Community service initiative: Epilepsy Education
- Sydney Meissner, 19, Miss Brookings, Rapid City, Talent: Dance, Community service initiative: Bridging Cultures: The Impact of Secondary Language Education
- Sydney Morgan, 19, Miss Hot Springs, Hot Springs, Talent: Vocal, Community service initiative: Community at Heart
- Thea Tanton, 19, Miss Badlands, La Vista, NE, Talent: Speed Painting, Community service initiative: Ripple of Change: Water Safety for Children
More information about candidates, the competition, and all events is available at misssd.org.
Pageant results (preliminaries Thursday and Friday, final results Saturday) will be available immediately on the Miss SD Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/MissSouthDakota/.
Candidates whose hometowns are in other states are either attending college or are working in South Dakota.
MAY 17, 2024:
Pierre native McKayla Gunderson will compete in the 77th Annual Miss South Dakota Scholarship Competition which begins later this month (May 30- June 1, 2024) at The Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center in Brookings.
Gunderson, who attends Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, currently holds the title of Miss Missouri River. She is one of 20 delegates hoping to be crowned the next Miss South Dakota and represent the state in the Miss America competition in early 2025.
As part of the competition, each candidate champions a social impact project. Gunderson has selected Working Towards Success, which is a workshop-based program where students come together, discover what their qualities and unique skills are, and then use them to find out their best career choices. Gunderson has been actively traveling around South Dakota to attend different job and career fairs to talk to students and teachers about the workshops she offers.
The theme of this year’s program is Swingin’ Glam, with delegates judged on interviews, talent and red carpet. Throughout its 77-year history, the Miss South Dakota program has impacted 18,000 young women. Last year, over $56,000 in scholarships were awarded during the three-day event.
The Miss South Dakota Scholarship Program is a means for statewide awareness of the Miss America and Miss America’s Teen programs. Their mission is to uphold the four points of the crown: Service, Scholarship, Success, and Style. The Miss South Dakota Competition is an official preliminary of the Miss America Competition, the nation’s leading achievement program and the world’s largest provider of scholarship assistance to young women. Participation in this program provides young women with the opportunity to promote a platform of community service and share their talents, intelligence, and positive values while serving as role models in their communities. The program is run entirely by volunteers and is supported by private donations which help the delegates in their pursuit of academic excellence, service, and lifelong success.
Tickets are on sale at http://www.misssd.org. For more information, contact: Glenda Mostek, mediarelations@misssd.org.
McKayla is talking to a group of students from T.F. Riggs High School during their Job/Career Fair.
Courtesy photo.
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