Meet the Beauty Queen With Down Syndrome
Courage is a virtue that lots of people often claim to possess. But it takes a particular testing condition and trying situation in life to make people exhibit courage to its fullest.
Such can be interpreted from the perspective of a 22-year-old lady with Down’s syndrome, who went against the odds of a fashionable lifestyle, to courageously compete in a beauty pageant.
And so, I share with you the news which broke all over the internet recently, about the courageous beauty queen with Down Syndrome.
Mikayla Holmgren who has been described as phenomenal and a trailblazer by the organizers of the Miss Minnesota Beauty Pageant made history last Sunday night at the Ames Center in Burnsville.
The 22-yearl-old Mikayla Holmgren became the first woman with Down syndrome to compete in the Miss Minnesota USA pageant. Although she didn’t win the Miss Minnesota award; she however, took home two amazing prizes - the Spirit of Miss USA award and the Director's Award.
Other competitors and the audience with tears at the venue gave Miss Holmgren a standing ovation as she accepted her awards with tears of joy and appreciation.
Holmgrem said:
“I’m so excited, I can’t believe it!”
Denise Wallace, the Executive co-director of the pageant, stated that Mikayla Holmgren is an epitome of what the Miss Universe Organistion desires in contestants.
Wallace said:
“You make people smile every time you talk, cheer, smile and dance.
“You exude the spirit of Miss USA by always being true to yourself and putting others first. You have selflessness, humility and the ability to overcome obstacles with a smile on your face and excitement in your heart.”
Miss Holmgren was described as a “trailblazer” and “history-maker”, by the Miss Minnesota beauty pageant organizers as she became the first person with such a condition to contest for the beauty pageantry title in the U.S. state pageant.
Miss Holmgren maintained that she was proud to be among the contestants of the pageant. She was in 2015, crowned Minnesota Junior Miss Amazing. She also competed in the national Junior Miss Amazing in Los Angeles.
When quizzed on why she participates in pageants, Miss Holmgren said:
“I’m really good at them because it’s my passion.
“It’s really fun. As I do more pageants and I’m really proud of myself; this is my dream,” she said.
Holmgren further stated that she wants the world to know that the Down syndrome she has “does not define” her personality.
“With your help, I can help break through walls,” she added.
Mikayla loved the experience of the pageantry and now considers herself a “pageant lady”; even as she hopes to do more. She is currently studying at Bethel University, and believes that her performance and the acceptance she has received will inspire others with similar conditions.
Are you having any disability? Or do you know anyone with a disability?
Do you consider yourself a “reject” because of your disability?
Do the disabled around you consider themselves a lost cause?
Well, Mikayla Holmgren has shown us what courage truly is.
Courage can be viewed as the ability to do something that frightens one.
Courage is the power or quality of dealing with or facing danger, fear, pain, or any other life challenges.
Courage is bravery in the face of physical pain, hardship, death or threat of death.
However we define courage, it is simply an ability or quality we must possess in life in order to scale through life’s numerous challenges and tribulations.
Believe in yourself; Be Courageous; and Live life to its fullest, because we have got only one life to live on this earth.
If you are hale and hearty and you have a compassionate heart then you should also be able to encourage those around you with disabilities; by showing care, love and supporting them.
Thank you for your time and for reading my post.
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Inspiring and touching. Nice one
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Good for her!
It's extremely encouraging to see more and more people with DS being highlighted and showing clearly that there is value to their lives. It should've been obvious that they have value, but for so long it's been a sentence to a life in a group home or asylum and today it more often than not is a death sentence as an astronomically high number of children diagnosed in utero with DS are aborted. The more people who can see and understand the hope of a beautiful and full life for someone with DS, the higher the chance of their ultimate survival in this "perfection" obsessed society!