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Miss Nebraska out to change perceptions of 4-H, pageant
There's more to 4-H than just cows, Miss Nebraska Kelly Keiser said in McCook on Wednesday, and Miss Nebraska is not just about beauty, both perceptions she wants to change in her attempt to visit all 93 counties across the state.
Keiser will be the first Miss Nebraska to visit every county if she succeeds.
Driving by herself across the state, she estimated she will finish her tour across Nebraska around May 11 in Fairbury, just in time to pass her tiara on to the new 2006 Miss Nebraska in June.
The 21 year-old from Gothenburg, who used to show cattle and hogs in 4-H, wants to get the word out that 4-H and the Miss Nebraska programs are both focused on education and scholarships, she said.
Many of the scholarships 4-H offers go untouched, she said, as no one applies for them, with grants also available for school programs and other organizations.
She cited the Los Angeles school system, which recently launched an information technology 4-H program for their students after school.
The Miss Nebraska program is also known for its focus on education, she said, with Miss Nebraska as the top provider in scholarship money compared to other states.
Keiser can personally attest to this, as she estimated she has amassed about $40,000 in scholarships since she began competing in Miss Nebraska contests at 17, before winning the state title at North Platte in 2005.
As Miss Nebraska, she collected an $11,000 cash scholarship, as well as other state college scholarships, a fur coat, a clothing and jewelry budget and the use of a new car for a year, which she's putting to good use as she visits each county. Another perk was a session with a make-up artist in Denver whose number one client is the actress Sandra Bullock and whose favorite brand of makeup comes from Target, she said.
Keiser recalled this year's Miss America pageant as a little hectic, as it was the first year it was tied in with CMT and held in Nashville instead of the traditional Atlantic City. Although she didn't place in the top 10, she joked she came in at 11th and said she saw none of the backstage fighting that beauty competitions are portrayed as.
"I just really had a lot of fun," said Keiser, who played a piano recital for the talent competition. "We were all unique in our own way."
Keiser took a year off from her studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to fulfill her duties as Miss Nebraska, and will return to school this fall to finish her business marketing degree.
While in McCook, she visited with students at St. Patrick's and the Junior High, gave an interview with Coyote Country radio station, and later signed autographs at a reception at the Community Building.