MONROE COUNTY – Ten young women from the area are vying for the title of “Miss Monroe County 2024”.
The 62nd Annual Miss Monroe County Scholarship Program will be held Aug. 17 at 6 p.m. in the Meyer Theater, La-Z-Boy Center at Monroe County Community College, 1555 S. Raisinville Road. Tickets are $30 each and available at the door. This year’s program theme is “Ode to the ’70s.” Reese Johnson is Miss Monroe County 2023. The Miss Monroe County Teen Program will be held Wednesday.
There will be an afterglow in the lobby. Tickets and more information can be found on the Miss Monroe County Scholarship Program Facebook page.
The candidates for Miss Monroe County 2024:
Name: Emilee Ruth Breitner
Age: 23
Parents: Jeff and Lori Breitner of Ida
Education: Attended Eastern Michigan University to earn a Masters in Educational Psychology
Career aspiration: Become a school counselor
Talent: Vocal solo on “What Was I Made For?”
Platform: Creating paths
Name: Callie Michelle Calvin
Age: 19
Parents: Catherine and Michael Calvin Jr. of Monroe
Education: Attended Madonna University, major in forensics, minor in biology
Career goal: Become a crime scene technician with the Michigan State Police
Talent: Vocal solo for “Rebel Heart”
Platform: Delight Ministries
Name: Marissa Rose Manley
Age: 19
Parents: Rich and Mindie Manley of Carleton
Education: Attended Adrian College with a major in biology and a minor in biochemistry
Career aspiration: Become a gynecologist
Talent: Vocal solo for “Stay”
Platform: SPARKLES – Suicide prevention, education, resources and knowledge: How to end the stigma
Name: Celeste Nicole Milligan
Age: 23
Parents: Veronica and Ricky Jennings and Charlie and Michele Milligan of Monroe
Education: Studied at Eastern Michigan University with a Master’s degree in Social Work
Career aspiration: Become a grief therapist
Talent: HerStory Monologue
Platform: Club Heaven
Name: Alyssa LeeAnn Otto
Age: 19
Parents: Bryan and Kelly Otto from Ida
Education: Participation in the MCCC/MSU ATI Transfer Program to obtain a degree in agriculture
Professional ambition: To continue her family’s agricultural business in the fourth generation
Talent: Monologue, a rendition of a famous speech by Paul Harvey: “So God Made a Farmer”
Platform: Farmer Knowledge
Name: Elora Elizabeth Russell
Age: 19
Parents: Jerry and Gina Russell of Monroe
Education: Attended Eastern Michigan University with a focus on business marketing and communication
Career aspiration: Work in advertising and public relations
Talent: Jazz solo to “My Way of Life” by Frank Sinatra
Platform: Breaking the cycle of needs
Name: Delaney Brooke Setzler
Age: 20
Parent: Tracy Setzler
Education: Attended Grand Valley State University with a focus on advertising and public relations and a minor in digital science/photography
Career goal: Communications and Multimedia Director
Talent: Vocal solo for “Million Dreams”
Platform: Inclusion through youth activation
Name: Dakota A. Stokes
Age: 18
Parents: Josh and Crystal Stokes of Luna Pier
Education: Attending MCCC with the goal of obtaining an Associate of Science degree
Career aspiration: Singer or actor
Talent: Vocal solo for “The Climb”
Platform: Mental Health Awareness
Name: McKenzie Renee Valente
Age: 21
Parents: Timothy and Milinda Valente of Monroe
Education: Graduate of the Douglas J. Aveda Institute, Ann Arbor
Career: Employed as a massage therapist
Talent: Jazz dance to “Dangerous”
Talent: Soul Healing
Name: Elizabeth Mary Kaus-Wirth
Age: 23
Parents: Roger and Kim Kaus-Wirth from Temperance
Education: 2023 graduate of Adrian College with a Bachelor of Arts in English Language and a minor in Elementary Education
Career: Fifth grade teacher at Bedford Public Schools
Talent: Performance of a theatre studies lesson
Platform: MAKE a Difference: Making autism known to all people
Subscribe now: Here you will find the latest information on local developments, breaking news and content related to high school sports.
The Miss Monroe County Scholarship Program awards more than $4,000 to the nine contestants in the Miss Monroe County Teen pageant and more than $36,000 to the ten contestants in the Miss Monroe County pageant.
“I want to thank Monroe County for continuing to go above and beyond with their gifts and donations to the Miss Monroe County Scholarship Program,” said Dione Oerther, executive director of the Miss Monroe County Scholarship. “We couldn’t continue to do this without everyone’s support.”
Tiffany Gerweck, who is new to the program’s board, coordinated the mock interviews for the Teen and Miss contestants, Oerther said. Kendall Comer (Miss Monroe County 2021) and Madalyn Poupard (Miss Monroe County 2019) prepared the choreography for the show. Comer is the producer of the Teen and Miss programs. Laurie Loveland is the board chair. Tracy Oberleiter is the board treasurer.
— Contact reporter Suzanne Nolan Wisler at [email protected].
