Memoir
The Night Miss America put North Dakota on the Map
September 10, 2017
“And your new Miss America is… Miss North Dakota, Cara Mund.” After four tries of competing for the title of Miss North Dakota, Cara became the first Miss North Dakota to become Miss America. Before and after the crown, Cara was completely and unapologetically herself and didn’t let anything or anyone change that, and that is one of the many things I admire about her. Being in Atlantic City on September 10th, 2017 is my most memorable experience to this day and I feel so lucky that I got to be there to witness my role models’ resilience, determination and her ultimate dream come true, as she made history. This day was an inspiration to so many girls who live in rural states, especially me.
September 6, 2017
It was the beginning of my junior year of high school, and I was currently holding the title of Miss North Dakota’s Outstanding Teen 2017. I was so excited for the opportunity to be flying to Atlantic City, New Jersey, the home of the Miss America Pageant, to cheer on my “big sister” Cara, as she competed for the title of Miss America 2018. In the Miss America system, the teen state winners support their state Miss contestants like big and little sisters. I had known Cara since I was young and had always looked up to her, so it was so special to have her as my Miss North Dakota. Miss America had been her dream since she was five years old and she had worked so hard to be where she was, ready to compete. No one from North Dakota, not a well-known pageant state, had ever made it further than the top 10. I knew if anyone could do it, it was Cara. But, would the judges overlook her qualifications because of where she was from?
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The week included three nights of preliminary competition before the final night when the new Miss America would be crowned. The first night, it was incredible to watch Cara walk across the Miss America stage knowing she had dreamt about this moment for the last nineteen years. She walked confidently and with grace, representing her own personal style. She wasn’t the “skinniest” or “most fit” girl at the pageant, but that didn’t matter. She was real, she was confident in herself and this was her moment to shine. Body confidence and positivity are tough for many young girls, including myself, and watching her be able to do this was amazing. She told me she had never felt more empowered than walking on the Miss America stage in her swimsuit showing off all her hard work.
September 7, 2017
I was so excited to go back for the second night of preliminaries and watch Cara perform her talent. I had seen her perform this dance before and knew she was going to kill it. It was a jazz routine to Michael Jackson’s The Way You Make Me Feel. I love the way you can see her personality, energy and passion through her dance. Talent is one of my personal favorite parts of competition and one of the main reasons I initially started competing in this organization.
September 8, 2017
It was the last night of preliminaries, Cara had her onstage question portion of the competition. She was asked, “Your platform is Make A Wish Passion with Fashion. As Miss America you’d be supporting your personal platform as well as our national platform Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, so how would you affectively advocate for both of these child focused organizations?” It was a big deal that her question said, “As Miss America.” I thought to myself, they must be were really considering her for the job. Of course she formulated a perfect answer on the spot, showing how well-spoken she was, “I think one thing that’s really important to realize is that these aren’t competing organizations. While the Children’s Miracle Network sustains the child’s life, Make A Wish just improves it, and what I’ve realized is that all of my Make A Wish children often attend Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and so while I as Miss North Dakota make wishes come true, as Miss America I get to make wishes come true and miracles happen and as a service organization I couldn’t ask for more.” I had done a few media interviews with her over the previous couple months and I was able to learn a lot from her poise and strong communication skills. Earlier that week, Cara was even awarded the first runner up quality of life, for her decade of dedication to the Make-a-Wish Foundation. I had always admired her service heart. The service aspect of the Miss America Organization is a big part of why this organization means so much to me.
September 9, 2017
Saturday was the traditional “Show Me Your Shoes” Parade. I got the opportunity to walk in the parade with many of my outstanding teen sisters from the other states, but the highlight for me was to see Cara in her Northern Lights inspired outfit, as she showed her pride of North Dakota. Cara went to Brown University and could’ve competed in Rhode Island, she interned in Washington, D.C. and could’ve competed there, but she knew if she was going to compete for Miss America, she wanted to represent our home state of North Dakota. I hope that wherever I go, my North Dakota roots show.
September 10, 2017
This was the day that would change someone’s life forever. I was already so proud of everything Cara had accomplished and stood for this week. Going into finals night, I just had this feeling. It was so surreal for me to actually be at Miss America in person after watching it for so many years on TV. I anxiously saw the stage, the lights, the big screens, and waited for it to begin with all my sister teen queens from across the country that I had met a month earlier, when we competed for Miss America’s Outstanding Teen together.
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At first, I couldn’t imagine Cara’s name not being called into the Top 15. I recorded every time they announced a finalist, as I wanted to make sure and document this monumental night. After calling 14 finalists, Cara’s name was finally called as the last finalist. At this point, I knew if she could make it past the first cut, which was swimsuit, she would make it to the end. After losing over 30 pounds, she showed off all her hard work in the swimsuit competition. Little did we know it would be the last time the Miss America contestants would compete in swimsuit. I was sitting by my friend Autumn, who was Miss Tennessee’s Outstanding Teen, and we were so excited because both of our girls had been called for Top 12. Cara had done it, she made it past swimsuit. I knew she was ready for all that was to come!
The next phase of competition was evening wear. It is very common for the young women competing to wear a white dress, I’m not sure why, but my grandma always tells me, “winners wear white.” Well, Cara didn’t care. She walked out in her black velvet dress, with a rhinestone keyhole and lit up the stage. She was doing this her way, which made me so proud. So many of the contestants don’t have a voice and do whatever their directors tell them. She moved on into the talent competition, another one of her strengths. Her talent was so entertaining and her excitement was contagious. I’m not a dancer, and don’t know the technicality behind it, but it meant a lot to hear comments from girls around me how good of a dancer she was. At this point, I couldn’t even begin to imagine her not advancing.
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As the competition continued, all the girls around me started rooting for Cara too. Cara’s goal coming into Miss America was to make history advancing farther in the competition than any other Miss North Dakota had before. She had already accomplished her goal, but it didn’t stop there, her name was called into the Top 7. There would now be two rounds of onstage questions, this could make it or break it. The intensity was building and the whole experience was unbelievable, she had made the Top 5 in the Miss America competition.
As much as I knew she could do it, I couldn’t believe it was happening before my eyes. The next round of questions was hard. They were often political, controversial type questions that are difficult to answer under any circumstance let alone on stage, in front of judges and millions of people watching on television. Cara was asked a question about how the President handled a controversial topic. As a prelaw student, Cara answered confidently and according to her own opinion. She didn’t give a politically correct answer to please the judges or tell them what they wanted to hear. She was strong, smart and articulate.
There stood the Top 5 contestants, all in a row. Who would be the next Miss America? One by one they called the runners up. Fourth runner up was… Miss Texas. Third runner up was… Miss District of Columbia. Second runner up… Miss New Jersey. It was incredible, she was one of the last two contestants. Cara had gotten so far, and I just couldn’t imagine her not winning. There were only two of them left and I just knew it had to be her, it had to be. Butterflies in my stomach, I tried not to shake while I held my phone up recording the moment when Chris Harrison said, “And your new Miss America is… Miss North Dakota, Cara Mund!” I was shaking and screaming, as tears rolled down my face. I just watched her couldn’t believe it, she did it! I remember my friend Autumn, who was sitting next to me, say “Sydney, your Miss is Miss America!”
Being at the 2018 Miss America Competition was a surreal experience in itself but having your “big sister” win and make history, well that just doesn’t happen very often. And, if you are from North Dakota, it had never happened before. I am so incredibly lucky to have someone like Cara in my life as a role model who has taught me so much. For her it was never about winning the crown, it was all about making a difference for others through the opportunities she was given. No one ever thought she could do it, but she overcame the odds, did it her way and proved it doesn’t matter where you come from, if you have a dream you can make it happen. And that is pure inspiration to me and so many others. Because of Cara, I know that I don’t have to be overlooked just because I’m from a small state like North Dakota. I know that I have the courage to proudly represent my home state as Miss North Dakota someday, make history, and accomplish any other goal I set for myself. Being in Atlantic City on September 10th of 2017 is a memory I will never forget and the things I learned through that experience have and will continue to make an impact in my life.
