The newest Miss Iowa has been named and she only has one
arm.
Nicole Kelly took the crown Saturday after a 3-day
competition in Davenport, Iowa. She will go on to compete for the Miss America
crown in September.
Kelly, 23, hails from the Hawkeye State town of Keokuk.
She intends to use the coveted platform of the Miss America competition to
discuss overcoming disabilities.
‘As I grew up I learned to counterbalance the initial stares I received from people with an outgoing personality that would not give into "no,”’ writes Kelly in her official Miss Iowa biography. ‘This means that I tried everything.
‘From baseball, to dance, to diving - there is nothing I
would not try. I found my passion within a world where I was giving people
permission to stare: the stage.’
The newest Miss Iowa has been named and she only has one
arm.
Nicole Kelly took the crown Saturday after a 3-day
competition in Davenport, Iowa. She will go on to compete for the Miss America
crown in September.
Kelly, 23, hails from the Hawkeye State town of Keokuk.
She intends to use the coveted platform of the Miss America competition to
discuss overcoming disabilities.
‘As I grew up I learned to counterbalance the initial stares I received from
people with an outgoing personality that would not give into "no,”’ writes
Kelly in her official Miss Iowa biography. ‘This means that I tried everything.
‘From baseball, to dance, to diving - there is nothing I
would not try. I found my passion within a world where I was giving people
permission to stare: the stage.’
Despite her obvious strength
and initiative, Kelly’s new role as Miss Iowa is as big a surprise to her as it
is to anyone.
‘If you would have told me a year ago that "pageant
queen" was in my future I would have laughed,’ she writes. ‘So maybe I
didn't see this path coming my direction, but now that I am here I can see it
is a perfect fit and I feel so blessed to have been surrounded by people who
have encouraged my steps.’
Another first occurred at last year's Miss America pageant
when Alexis Wineman became the first autistic contestant on the hallowed stage.
In 1994, Heather Whitestone of Alabama became the first
deaf woman to win the title of Miss America.
Kelly will get her shot at the crown September 15, 2013 at
the Miss America 2014 pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Credits to dailymail.co.uk
