Mikayla Holmgren just broke some major boundaries in the pageant world!
According to Cosmopolitan, Holmgren became the first woman with Down Syndrome to compete in the Miss USA state competition.
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While she’d previously won the Minnesota Miss Amazing pageant (a pageant created for woman with special needs), Mikayla decided she wanted to try competing in the official Miss Minnesota Pageant too.
She didn’t take home the crown, but she did win the Spirit of Miss USA Award and the Director’s Award.
As Denise Wallace Heitkamp, executive state director of the pageant, explained when Holmgren won the Spirit Award:
“You make people smile every time you talk, cheer, smile, and dance. You exude the spirit of Miss USA by always being true to yourself and putting others first. You have selflessness, humility, and the ability to overcome obstacles with a smile on your face and excitement in your heart.”
Congratulations Mikayla, you deserve it!
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Learn more right here.