Pageant helps Klaes increase awareness

Mackenzie Klaes is more than just a pretty face. The 18-year-old Seymour High School senior is smart, talented and has a purpose - to raise breast cancer awareness.

That is why she's chosen to be involved with the American Miss pageant, and her choice is paying off.

"I started participating in this in seventh grade," Klaes said of her dedication to the pageant. "One of my good friends had a flier about it and told me she thought I would be interested. So I borrowed a suit and dress and ended up in the top 15 that year."

Klaes would eventually go on to win the Junior Teen Division.

"Now it's something I look forward to every year," she said.
After winning the junior division, she set her sights on becoming Miss Indiana Teen.

On the Fourth of July weekend, Klaes, daughter of Bill Klaes and Kathy Klaes, achieved her goal and was crowned Miss Indiana Teen during the annual pageant in Indianapolis. She will compete Thanksgiving in Hollywood for the title of National American Miss.

"I feel honored and blessed to represent this program," Klaes said. "It's one of the most prestigious and honored pageants out there."

Although the lure of scholarship money is strong, Klaes said her main reason for entering the pageant was to raise breast cancer awareness in the hopes a cure will soon be found.

The topic is one close to her heart, as her mother has battled breast cancer not once, but twice.

"I have a purpose to why I want to do this," Klaes said. "Seeing what my mom has gone through has been hard, but it's inspired me to do everything I can to help find a cure."

Klaes said being Miss Indiana Teen is giving her the opportunity to get her message out.

"I feel like in the month I've been crowned I've been able to reach out to a lot more people," she said.

During this year's competition, Klaes was judged on four criteria: evening wear, personal introduction, interview and community service, receiving high marks in all.

Besides winning the overall title, she also placed first in the interview and was named runner-up for personal introduction, where she gave a speech on breast cancer awareness.

"It's kind of where I shine," she said of the interview and public speaking.
Another benefit of competing in the pageant is the friendships she's made along the way.
"You get to know the other girls and I've become really close to a couple girls from Texas and another from Kentucky," she said.
This year, Klaes said about 60 girls competed in the teen division.
"It's quite the excitement that weekend," she said of the pageant.

Klaes said she recommends getting involved with the American Miss pageant because of the impact it has had on her life.

"For me it was about stepping out of my comfort zone to reach my goal," she said. "Once I was able to do that, I crossed the threshold from being a child to an adult. It's really changed my life and made it for the better."

Since winning the title, Klaes has represented the pageant in the Indiana State Fair and the MelonFest in Brownstown. This weekend, she will travel to Nashville, Tenn., to help with that state's pageant, and later this year, she will be in the Seymour Oktoberfest and Fort Vallonia Days parades.

"It's just been a month since I won and I'm still on cloud nine," she said.

Besides going to all the parades and festivals and getting to hold lots of babies, Klaes said one of her favorite trips was to Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, where she got to deliver bears and books to children with cancer.

"It really touched my heart," she said.

The American Miss Pageant is only one of the many activities that keeps Klaes busy. She also is an ambassador for the American Cancer Society, volunteers with Turning Point Domestic Violence Services, is a member of the SHS National Honor Society, is business manager for the school newspaper The Owl, works part time at Klaes Chiropractic Clinic and Klaes Image Productions and started a feature on Radio 96.3 highlighting the academic student of the week.

She plans to attend Indiana University next fall and major in broadcast journalism and public relations with a minor in political science.