Miss Michigan is a Survivor of the MSU Shooting
The Miss Michigan pageant is always a fun thing to follow. When I was a little girl, my mom and I used to watch all the big pageants: Miss America, Miss USA and Miss Universe. We always rooted for Miss Michigan to go all the way.
Now, a new Miss Michigan has been crowned: Maya Schuhknecht. She’s a survivor of the mass shooting at Michigan State University, which took place earlier this year.
Miss Michigan:
As for talent, during the competition, Schuhknecht showed off her art skills as a speed painter. I love this, since I’m a painter, too. She also said that art as helped her through adversity throughout her life. Her life story has some great adversity. Her mom had breast cancer when she was 13. Then, at MSU, she survived the mass shooting. A few weeks later, she lost her dad unexpectedly.
“Life just keeps throwing waves at you and you don’t know what’s going to come, but that’s just the cards you were given,” Schuhknect said. “Through that hard time, I have been using the arts and as Miss Michigan, I’m really excited to tell people that story and say, ‘Look at me. I’m successful. I still see all these great things in life despite all these bad things that have happened to me, and I’m actively using the arts to feel better each and every day.'” When crowned, she said that she hopes her story and win will inspire others to embrace unique talents. Now, she’s going to represent Michigan in the next Miss America contest. Details on the Miss America 2024 show has yet to be announced.