Pageantry: More than just a great smile
By Michael Johnson, Editor
The back stage of the Miss Grand Forks Scholarship Pageant is a place where Kayla Wiese never wanted to be. Amongst the shaving, dressing, applying of makeup and body spray paints, Kayla sat reading her Bible on the day of the pageant. The 2012 Miss Grand Forks Scholarship Pageant took place Nov. 5 and Kayla, a Washburn graduate, was named People’s Choice as well as recipient of the Miracle Maker Award. If you know Kayla, you know she’s an independent woman ready to change the world. She’s going to school at North Central College in Minneapolis and studying youth ministry and biology. Her extra time is spent working on setting up concerts for her Make a Change Ministries. She never thought that her work in giving youth self confidence would get her a request from the pageant director to join in. But sure enough, she received a message that she was wanted for the preliminary pageant to Miss North Dakota. “I thought, no way that’s dumb and girly,” Kayla said. But then she thought about it some more and asked God about the situation. Former pageant winners have spent thousands on an evening gown that they wear on stage for a few minutes. Kayla decided that if she would be a part she wouldn’t spend over $30 on a dress.
