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.’
Kelly took her passion to the next level when she enrolled at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and began studying theatre.
The young beauty graduated in May 2012 and now hopes for a career as a Broadway stage manager.
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.’
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