Miss America Subsidiary Selects Winners and Awards Large Scholarships

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Omaha, NE. August 12, 2025: Local Miss America Subsidiary Selects Winners, Awards Large Scholarships

The Miss Omaha Scholarship Organization competition was held Saturday August 8th at Marian High School where respected judges from Missouri, California, Iowa and Nebraska chose four titleholders to represent our city and county. Emceeing the event was longtime Miss Omaha Volunteers and Forever titleholders Miss Co-Director Devin Larsen, Teen Director Alyssa Howell and Marketing Director Megan Heimes. Also present were Miss Nebraska 2026 Lexi Nolda, Miss Nebraska’s Teen Ella-Kathryn Anderson, Miss Douglas County 2025 Chelsea Arnold and Miss Omaha’s Teen Emma-Claire Fritz.

Jacee Pfeifer was crowned Miss Omaha 2026. A graduate of the Concordia University with a BA in Music Performance, she is currently pursuing a Master of Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Bellevue University. Jacee’s Community Service Initiative is “Beyond the Starting Line: Guiding Youth to Mental Health Resources”. She is an official ambassador for Boys Town National Hotline’s “Your Life Your Voice Program”

Jaylynne Montgomery-Lewis was crowned Miss Douglas County 2026. Jaylynne has a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies, Constitutional Pre-Law. Her Community Service Initiative is “Second Act: Turning Setbacks into New Directions”. Second Act’s mission is to replace shame with strategy and equip young people with the tools to choose a new direction because their past is a chapter, not their whole story.

Both Miss Omaha and Miss Douglas County will each receive a $2,500 cash scholarship, an in-kind scholarship from Midland University, as well as gifts from our Miss Omaha Organization Sponsors. They will compete in the Miss Nebraska competition in June 2027 and that winner will continue to Miss America.

Other Miss Awards:

• Yolenna Regmi was selected 1^st Runner-up and received a $500 cash scholarship.

• Maria Cade was selected 2^nd Runner-up and received a $400 cash scholarship.

• Paige Dodson was selected 3^rd Runner-up and received a $300 cash scholarship as well being chosen the Dotti Matthies Community Service Award Winner which included $100 cash scholarship.

• Jaylynne Montgomery-Lewis was named Miss Congeniality and won $100 in cash scholarships

• Joyceanna Sullivan was chosen the Marianne Grubaugh Legacy Award winner and earned a $100 cash scholarship

• Olivia Vanderford was selected the Non-Finalist Interview and Non-Finalist Talent Award winner earning her $200 in Cash Scholarships.

Corryn Wilson was crowned Miss Douglas County’s Teen 2026. Corryn is a student at Elkhorn South High School and will promote her Community Service Initiative Fashion Fix: Style that Serves. Her goal is to provide practical alternatives to fast fashion while building connections around conscious consumption.

Cora Frans was crowned Miss Omaha’s Teen 2026. She also received the Dottie Matthies Community Service Award for $100. Cora is a student at Elkhorn South High School and will promote her Community Service Initiative “Read to Lead: Bringing Awareness to Speech Impairment Through the Power of Reading”. Cora feels literacy is the key to many children overcoming their communications disorders and that no child should ever have to go without the help and resources they need.

Both Miss Omaha’s Teen and Miss Douglas County’s Teen will receive a $1,000 cash scholarship, a $32,000 renewable in-kind scholarship to Midland University (up to $128,000 in value), along with gifts from our Miss Omaha Sponsors. They will compete in the Miss Nebraska’s Teen competition in June 2027 and that winner will go to Miss America’s Teen.

Other Teen Awards provided:

• Piper Pillard was selected 1^st Runner-up receiving a $300 cash scholarship and a $30,000 renewable in-kind scholarship to Midland University (total value - $120,000)

• Cora Frans won the Teen Congeniality award receiving a $100 cash scholarship

• Karmella Klein won the Marianne Grubaugh Legacy Award along with the Teen Non-Finalist Talent Award totalling $200 in cash scholarships.

• Dana Jennerman-Legonou was awarded the Non-Finalist Interview Award receiving a $100 cash scholarship.

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 108 local Miss and Teen titleholders for the Miss Nebraska/Miss Nebraska’s Teen stage and are proud to have had 23 titleholders take home the title of Miss Nebraska or Miss Nebraska’s Teen 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.