It was her first major pageant, and she almost got the chance to represent Indiana in a national competition.
Kinley Shoemaker received first runner-up recognition in the Miss Indiana Teen USA competition, coming in second place to Bloomington’s Lexi Gryszowka, who will compete against girls representing other states for the title of Miss Teen USA.
Shoemaker, a junior at Franklin Community High School, received the Contestant’s Choice Award, given to the contestant most favored by her competitors, she said.
Shoemaker also won the Choice of the People Award, given to the contestant who gets the most votes from people outside the competition who aren’t judges, she said.
Shoemaker, who competed by representing Festival Country Indiana, decided she wanted to take a chance in the pageant as a young child.
“I’ve always been super busy, but I gave myself a push to do something new and I absolutely loved it,” she said.
To prepare for the pageant, she practiced with Kelly Sergeant, her interview coach, and watched videos about how girls prepared for pageants. During the pageant, she wore outfits including active wear and an evening gown, and answered questions from two panels of judges, she said.
The experience inspired Shoemaker’s plan to participate in next year’s pageant as well.
“It means the absolute world to me,” she said of her achievement in the pageant. “It’s really cool to have so many people have so much faith in me. It made me grow a lot as a person being around other young women. It means a lot to do so well the first time. I can’t wait for next year.”
