That’s right, the queens have arrived in Zionsville! It’s Miss Indiana week here in the Hoosier State and last night kicked off the first night of preliminaries as all of the beautiful women prepare for finals on Saturday where a new Miss Indiana and Miss Indiana Outstanding Teen will be crowned!
A record 36 Miss contestants are vying for the title of Miss Indiana and 27 teen contestants are vying for the Miss Indiana Outstanding Teen title – a total of 63 young women!
Each woman represents a local pageant where they were each crowned based on their stellar performance in scholastic achievement, creative accomplishment, healthy living, and community involvement. The two women crowned this upcoming Saturday will compete for Miss America’s Outstanding Teen in July and Miss America in September!
If you follow the news at all, I’m sure you have heard of the changes made at the national level for the Miss America Organization. I’m not going to get into that, because I think both sides make very valid points, and because I’ve never competed in a pageant, I don’t feel I am the best person to make a judgment call on what is right or wrong in terms of eliminating the swimsuit portion of the competition.
I will, however, get into what the Miss America Organization is doing right, and that is their incredible work with the Children’s Miracle Network where all of the local, state, and national fundraising goes towards during their year of service. To date, participants in local through national pageants have raised more than $17 million to children’s hospitals across America. Wow, right? This clearly is so much more than “just a beauty pageant” and these young women should be celebrated for their work towards bringing awareness to children fighting in these facilities.
Meagan Gilbert Photography had the privilege of working with 12 contestants who are competing this weekend, and I couldn’t be more proud to have had the opportunity to work so closely with such a stellar group of women.
Their service to the Children’s Miracle Network as well as their respective causes and platforms is overwhelming and just spending an hour with them gives you the inspiration to do the same.
Please help me in wishing all of my fabulous MGP ladies well wishes and the best of luck as they compete for the job of Miss Indiana and Miss Indiana’s Outstanding Teen. I truly believe that each and every one of these women could do the job flawlessly and deserves the crown.
Madi Seifert
Platform: Leader the Way: Leader Dogs for the Blind
Paige Harder
Platform: Get Up and Move! Overcoming Inactive Lifestyles
Jessica Hopper
Platform: SAFE Homes for Children in Foster Care
Madelyn Steurer
Platform: I Am That Girl
AnnaBella Brown
Miss Great Lakes Outstanding Teen
Platform: Fostering a Majestic You
Lydia Tremaine
Miss Fort Wayne
Platform: Act Now: Keeping the Arts Alive
Hannah Malaise
Miss Fort Wayne’s Outstanding Teen
Platform: Volunteer to Make a Change
Andrea Kline
Platform: Love Your Body, Beauty Doesn’t Have to Hurt
Elayna Hasty
Miss South Bend’s Outstanding Teen
Platform: G.A.B. Girls (Girls Against Bullying Girls)
Lexie Costa
Platform: Breaking Down Barriers and Empowering Individuals with Disabilities
Olivia Drerup
Miss Collegiate North’s Outstanding Teen
Platform: Paws for a Cause
Best of luck ladies! We’re so proud and excited for you all. 🙂
P.S. Meagan Gilbert Photography is sponsoring the holiday photos for the new Miss Indiana and Miss Indiana’s Outstanding Teen later this year! Check back for those once the weather gets colder.
