A Galesburg woman is a finalist for Miss Iowa. Juniper Schwartzman, a first-year student at Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa, advanced through two qualifying pageants to reach the Miss Iowa competition set for June 13-15.
Schwartzman is a Galesburg native and 2023 Galesburg High School graduate. She qualifies for the Miss Iowa Scholarship Program by living in Iowa and being enrolled in and physically attending classes on a full-time basis at an accredited college or university.
Schwartzman tells WGIL, “I decided to do pageants and specifically the Miss Iowa program because of someone reaching out to me, recommending that I compete and mentoring me through the whole process.
“The Miss Iowa program is also for scholarship and I have already been able to meet so many amazing women in the Miss Iowa Class of 2024.”
At GHS, Schwartzman played six sports, earning the school’s recognition as Female Athlete of the Year in 2023 as a senior. She also earned numerous academic awards and was a member of band where she earned all-state honors as a French horn player.
Schwartzman made headlines last fall when she joined the Grinnell College football team as a kicker. She became the first woman to play and score for the team during their Sept. 30 game against Lawrence University.
The Miss America Opportunity has served to empower young women for over 100 years as the largest provider of scholarships to young women in the United States. At the local, state, and national level, contestants or delegates promote a Community Service Initiative to raise awareness, educate and serve their communities by advocating for a cause about which they are passionate.
Contestants must compete and win a title at a local pageant before advancing to state. Miss America has two age divisions, Miss and Teen. Teen are students age 14 to 18 and Miss ages 18 to 28. Titleholders represent the pillars of the Miss America Opportunity: Sisterhood, Service, Scholarship, Success, and Style. Each delegate competes in interview, talent, evening wear, fitness, and on stage question.
Schwartzman competed in two qualifying pageants — Miss Palmer Hills and Miss Golden Circle — to advance to the Miss Iowa competition. She won the fitness award at Miss Palmer Hills and of the title of Miss Golden Circle on March 3 in Davenport, Iowa.
Competitions have five parts to them as well as an opening-number: a 10-minute interview with a panel of judges, an on-stage conversation, a talent/HER-story portion (In which she played the French horn with her own piano accompaniment), fitness section and evening gown. Contestants also are required to submit a fact sheet and CSI (community service initiative) essay prior to competitions.
“In preparation for the Miss Iowa competition, I will be preparing a new french horn solo, learning the opening number, doing volunteer work in the local community, staying #missamericafit with sports practices, lifting, and eating healthy,” said Schwartzman, who plans to pursue a double major in physics and math at Grinnell.
The Miss Iowa competition will work similarly to the local pageants with the same scoring: Interview-30%, Evening Gown-20%, Fitness-20%, Talent-20% and On-stage question-10%.
