Lakers compete for Miss Michigan titles

Alexandria Kelly '18, Lauren Mroczek ‘21 and current students Breckyn Bussey and Kirsten Krause are competing for the title of Miss Michigan through the Miss America and Miss USA organizations.

Krause, a sophomore studying human resources management, never imagined herself on the pageant stage. “Growing up I was a really big tomboy,” she said. “So pageants were something out of my comfort zone.” 

She was inspired to compete at Miss Michigan USA when she recognized that pageants could help her advocate for a cause she was passionate about: ending child abuse. “My dad was arrested for assault and battery when I was 16 years old,” Krause noted. “A platform like Miss Michigan USA gives me the opportunity to advocate and help more women and children out of domestic abuse situations.”

Krause isn’t the only Laker participating in pageants to be an advocate. Mroczek, who graduated from GVSU with a degree in biomedical science with an emphasis in nutrition science, found what she’s passionate about during her time at GVSU. “GVSU’s nutrition courses, especially the Community Nutrition course I took, opened my eyes to the lack of access to fruits and vegetables in many communities across the state,” She said. Her coursework inspired her to create a program called Growing Gardens for Growing Minds. This initiative provides free gardening resources for individuals to grow their own produce at home or in a community garden.

Krause and Alexandria Kelly competed for Miss Michigan USA, and both made the top 12 at the competition on April 21. The winner, Alma Cooper, will go on to compete at Miss USA in August, and the new Miss USA will then go on to compete at Miss Universe.

Mroczek and Breckyn Bussey, a junior studying allied health sciences, will compete in Miss Michigan through the Miss America Organization June 13-15. The winner will receive a $10,000 academic scholarship and go on to compete at Miss America in January.

Bussey, who is serving as president of the sorority Sigma Kappa, noted that pageantry has taught her how to balance multiple responsibilities as a college student.

“I think, because I started competing at such a young age, it’s made me more ambitious,” Bussey said. “Learning how to balance my time has definitely been a struggle, but [pageants] have helped me a lot. And the confidence and communication skills that I’ve built will continue to help me in the real world.” 

Similarly, pageantry is what led Kelly to pursue a degree in multimedia journalism and, in turn, her experiences at GVSU helped her in the pageant world.

“When I first came to Grand Valley, I was a geology major,” Kelly said. “Because of pageantry, I was like, ‘Why am I not doing journalism?’ I love to talk, I love to write,” She said. “As a journalist, you have to push yourself into the public eye. You have to get stories, you have to stand in front of the camera and be able to talk. A big skill set I learned at Grand Valley was just being more comfortable in these types of situations.”

The Miss Michigan USA 2024 pageant is available to stream through Pageant Vision . Tickets for Miss Michigan through the Miss America Organization are available on the Frauenthal Theatre website .