Local Miss America Subsidiary Selects Winners, Awards Large Scholarships

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Omaha, NE. August 23, 2024: Local Miss America Subsidiary Selects Winners, Awards Large Scholarships

The Miss Omaha Scholarship Organization competition was held Saturday August 3rd at Marian High School where respected judges from New Mexico, Kansas, California, Texas and Nebraska chose four titleholders to represent our city and county. Emceeing the event was Miss Nebraska 2002 Krista Knicely Anderson and her father WOWT Personality John Knicely. Also present were Miss Nebraska 2024 Raechel Warren, Miss Nebraska’s Teen Janae Harris and Miss Douglas County’s Teen 2024 Clara Johnson.

Alayna Wilson was crowned Miss Douglas County 2025. A graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and working on her Doctorate at the University of Kansas/University of Kansas Medical Center she will spend her year of service promoting her Community Social Initiative entitled “Sammy’s Superheroes: Ending Childhood Cancer and Spreading Kindness”. Alayna’s talent was a jazz dance to “This Joint is Jumping”.

Jacee Pfeifer was crowned Miss Omaha 2025. She is a graduate of Concordia University and has plans to pursue a master’s to become a Licensed Mental Health Professional. She will continue to promote her Community Social Initiative “The Invisible Disability: it’s okay, not to be okay” during her year of service. Jacee’s talent was a Vocal performance of “Tomorrow” from the musical Annie.

Both Miss Omaha and Miss Douglas County will each receive a $2,500 cash scholarship, up to $24,000 in-kind scholarships from Bellevue University, as well as gifts from our Miss Omaha Organization Sponsors. They will compete in the Miss Nebraska competition in June 2025 and that winner will go to Miss America.

Other Miss Awards:

·       Ally Parker was selected 1st Runner-up and received a $500 cash scholarship

along with an $3,000 in-kind scholarship to Bellevue University

·       Lexi Nolda was selected 2nd Runner-up and received a $250 cash scholarship.

·       Olivia Terwey was selected 3rd Runner-up and received a $200 cash scholarship.

·       Sophia Kruse won the Non-Finalist Talent Award, Miss Congeniality, Community

Service Award and the Marianne Grubaugh Miss Legacy Scholarship totaling a cash

scholarship of $450.

·       Ally Pearce was selected as the Non-Finalist Interview winner earning a

$100 cash scholarship.

Ella-Kathryn Anderson was crowned Miss Omaha’s Teen 2025. She also received a $100 Cash award for being named Teen Congeniality by her peers. Ella-Kathryn is a student at Scottsbluff High School and will promote her Community Service Initiative “Finding Your Power: Helping Your Body Help You.”. Emma-Kathryn’s talent was a Vocal performance to “Journey to the Past” from the Hit Movie and Broadway Musical Anastasia.

Gabriella Swift was crowned Miss Douglas County’s Teen 2025. She also received the Marianne Grubaugh Teen Legacy Scholarship for $250. Gabriella is a student at St. Patrick’s High School and will promote her Community Service Initiative “Be Addicted to Life, Not to Drugs”. Gabriella’s talent was a Gymnastics routine to a medley of songs.

Both Miss Omaha’s Teen and Miss Douglas County’s Teen will receive a $1,000 cash award, a $28,000 renewable in-kind scholarship to Midland University (up to $112,000 in value), a $2,000 one-year in-kind scholarship to Bellevue University along with gifts from our Miss Omaha Sponsors. They will compete in the Miss Nebraska’s Teen competition in June 2025 and that winner will go to Miss America’s Teen.

Other Teen Awards provided:

·       Emma-Claire Fritz was selected 1st Runner-up receiving a $300 cash award and

a $25,000 renewable in-kind scholarship to Midland University

(total value - $100,000)

·       Addi Carter was selected 2nd Runner-up receiving a $250 cash award.

·       Jayda Turner was selected 3rd Runner-up receiving a $200 cash award

·       Piper Pillard received the Non-Finalist Talent Award receiving a $100 cash award

·       Kenedi Schroeder was named Non-Finalist Interview Award winner receiving

a $100 cash award

We also wanted to say thank you to our Miss Douglas County’s Teen 2024 Clara Johnson who gave up her title this year. She spent the year speaking on her Community Service Initiative “4-H: Reaching One, Reaching All” and will be moving on for her first year at Creighton University after receiving a full-ride scholarship. It was an honor to work with her the last three years.

Contact Megan Heimes, Director of Marketing & Media MissOmahaMAO@gmail.com (308) 760-7179

About the Miss Omaha Organization: Founded in 1988, the Miss Omaha / Miss Douglas County Scholarship Program has been providing young women with the opportunity to pursue their educational goals through scholarship for over 35 years. We have helped prepare 61 local titleholders for the Miss Nebraska stage and are proud to have had 13 titleholders take home the title of Miss Nebraska and compete on the Miss America stage, more than any other local competition in the state. In 2018 we solidified a partnership with the Midlands Community Foundation and established the Miss Omaha Scholarship Fund, a 501(c)(3) non-profit entity that enables us to solicit tax-deductible donations and expand our cash scholarship award offerings. You can read more about our organization at www.missomahama.org

We are a subsidiary of the Miss Nebraska Scholarship Program and Miss America Organization and follow the rules, regulations and guidelines set forth therein.