Alyssa Herman attributes her education to pageants. The former Miss University of Wyoming competed for years to gain scholarships to go to college.
“I am now a first-generation college graduate, with a bachelor’s in nursing,” said the Star Valley resident. “I attribute a lot of my success in my career and in life to competing in pageants.”
Herman specifically credits the Miss Wyoming organization for “a lot of what polished me to become the woman I am today.”
Hoping to encourage other women in Star Valley and western Wyoming to take advantage of such opportunities, Herman and others with the Miss Wyoming organization met with SVI Media recently — speaking with Duke Dance on SVI Radio’s Weekly Wakeup show. Herman, a board member for Miss Wyoming, was joined by Miss Wyoming 2023 Mackenzie Kern, Miss Wyoming Teen 2023 Katelyn Reckard, and Cheyenne Brown, executive director for the Miss Wyoming organization.
“Miss America [pageant] is the nation’s largest scholarship provider of young women,” Herman told Dance. “I’ve found in our community we have so many incredible, outstanding young women who don’t know about this opportunity. They’re familiar with pageants but not specifically familiar with this [Miss America] track.
“It’s an incredible journey I’ve just noticed so many young women in our community are missing out on. I joined the board because I want young women in Wyoming to feel empowered and supported to come and compete in our programs, … to further their education, to polish their public speaking skills and to have a platform to serve their communities.”
Brown, executive director for the Miss Wyoming organization and Miss Wyoming 2017, spoke of the friends and professional skills she gained from competing. “If you can survive a Miss America interview, you’re never going to come across a job interview that you won’t get. That’s just one of the tiny examples that this program polishes women and sets them on a track for success.”
Kern, a resident of Casper and the 76th title holder of Miss Wyoming, said she began competing 10 years ago. “I wanted to challenge myself, and the public speaking aspect was really enticing to me. Overall, it was a growing experience, and it helped me in business as well.”
Reckard, a senior at Sheridan High School, advocates for mental health awareness as she travels across the state. “It’s one of the most rewarding things in the world for me,” she related. “When I’m in school, there have been instances where classmates or sometimes even teachers tell me they connected with the story I’m telling. It makes me feel so empowered. It’s such a change-maker.”
Supporting the Miss Wyoming organization, Herman explained, means “funding production costs for us to host a competition where these women can … have a platform to be honored for the things they’ve been achieving in their schools and their communities.”
In addition, Herman said, funding from business support in the communities goes directly into the Miss Wyoming scholarship program. She emphasized there are myriad ways within competition to win awards and scholarships.
Since the establishment of its scholarship program in 1945, the Miss America Organization has awarded over $150 million in educational grants, according to a press release from the Miss Wyoming Organization.
Miss Wyoming contestants must be between the ages of 18-28 years old, whereas teen contestants range in age from 13-18. To become involved as a contestant, volunteer or board member, please reach out to the Miss Wyoming Organization at misswyomingorg@gmail.com, or find the organization on social media.
