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Grace Altenhofen Des Moines Register July 1, 2022
When Bailey Hodson heard her name announced as Miss Iowa 2022 at the state pageant June 11, her hands began shaking and her mind went blank in disbelief.
"I didn't even know what to do, where to go," Hodson said. "I didn’t have this ‘in the bag’ mentality. I didn’t think it was going to be me from day one, I was truly just there to have fun and be proud of the work I put in."
Hodson, 24, of Berwick, will go on to represent Iowa in the Miss America Pageant in Connecticut this December.
The Grand View University alumna, who majored in English and secondary education, earned a total of $12,750 in scholarships and awards through the Miss Iowa Scholarship Program this year. That includes the Jessica Pray Patel Vocal Scholarship, awarded to the vocalist with the highest talent score — an award that surprised Hodson.
Bailey Hodson, 24, of Berwick, Iowa will represent the state in the Miss America Pageant in Connecticut this December.
"I always feared judgment, because I was never trained in vocal performance," Hodson said. "It was just something I did in the shower or car. I loved singing, but I was scared to do it in front of people. But if I'm going to speak on overcoming your fears and being your best self through my initiative, I needed to fight my own fear of singing in front of people."
That's exactly what she did, winning over the judges with a rendition of "A Million Dreams" from the musical "The Greatest Showman."
More:Iowan Essence Wilmington stars as one of top 12 competitors in 'So You Think You Can Dance'
This was Hodson's fourth year competing in the Miss Iowa pageant. She was first runner-up in 2019, which was "probably one of the coolest experiences besides winning," according to Hodson.
"When they called my name and having that dream come to fruition...it was a dream come true," Hodson said. "I was excited and I couldn’t believe it. I knew that I had come close before, but the idea of actually winning seemed like it might never happen, so when it did, it was crazy."
The competition included categories for talent, an on-stage question, social-impact pitch and evening wear. The social impact pitch "helps the judges envision how the candidate will bring her chosen platform to a wider scale and audience," according to the Miss Iowa website.
"I think the pitch is my favorite part, because that’s when I got to talk about my social impact initiative and everything I’ve already done with it and what I want to do for Iowa," Hodson said.
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