GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — As 51 contestants take the Miss America stage this weekend, one West Michigan artist will be among them.
Maya Schuhknecht won the Miss Michigan title last summer. She will now compete with 50 other contestants — one from each state and one from Washington, D.C. — for the Miss America title.
The competition kicked off Saturday. Wednesday will mark the Miss Preliminary Night, followed by the talent showcase on Thursday. That leads up to the finals at the Walt Disney Theater in Florida at 7 p.m. Sunday, during which the next Miss America will be crowned.
For Schuhknecht, the competition is a dream come true. In an interview with Hometown Productions, she said becoming Miss Michigan, and the scholarship money that came with that, was “lifechanging.”
The Miss Michigan title holder is from Buchanan in Berrien County.
“Buchanan is a very small town, so coming from such a small part of the state, it’s really cool to represent not only my part but the entire state,” she told Hometown Productions.
She said she “gained a family” from the Miss America system, especially as she went through a lot of trials over the past year.
“Having people that I can rely on and care for me, and I care for them, is so special,” she said.
Schuhknecht recently graduated from MSU with a degree in graphic design, where she survived the mass shooting that took place at the school almost one year ago.
The mass shooting caused a “whirlwind of emotions and trauma,” she previously told News 8, and she had trouble dealing with small rooms and loud noises.
A few weeks later, her dad died unexpectedly.
“Life just keeps throwing waves at you and you don’t know what’s going to come. But that’s just the cards you were given. … Through that hard time, (I) have been using the arts,” she told News 8. “As Miss Michigan, I’m really excited to tell people that story and say, ‘Look at me. I’m successful. I still see all these great things in life despite all these bad things that have happened to me, and I’m actively using the arts to feel better each and every day.’”
Schuhknecht, who won the Miss Michigan title after showcasing her skills as a speed painter, is advocating for the arts with Arts for All, her community service initiative.
Ahead of the talent showcase, she told Hometown Productions that representing a nontraditional talent “is really close to my heart.”
During interviews, she wore a suit she hand painted.
“From the moment I was crowned Miss Michigan I knew I wanted to hand paint my interview suit,” she shared in a Facebook post. “This power suit embodies my spunky personality, creativity, & artistic talents!”
More than $250,000 in scholarships will be awarded during the Miss America and Miss America’s Teen competitions. Miss Michigan Teen Kyle D’Andrea of St Clair Shores is competing for the Miss America Teen title.
The Miss America Finals will stream free Sunday at watchmissmaerica.com.
