'What can I do?': Lauren Hjelsand aims to bridge STEM gap as Miss Wausau Area 2024

WAUSAU − Lauren Hjelsand is using her platform as Miss Wausau Area 2024 to promote quality education focusing on science, technology, engineering and math curriculum regardless of a family’s income.

Hjelsand, who earned the local title Nov. 11 at the UW Center for Civic Engagement, is working to earn her associate degree this spring from Madison Area Technical College and will then transfer to the University of Wisconsin-Madison to continue her major in molecular biology. She eventually wants to get into research, but she hasn’t decided what type of research she wants to do. She said she loves that there are so many options to choose from in the science field.

She credits her interest in STEM to a teacher who told her she would be a scientist someday. Hjelsand said she didn’t have a lot of experience or interest in STEM at the time but having someone direct her into that field and encourage her was the boost she needed.

As Miss Wausau Area, she wants to be that person for other students.

Hjelsand will promote Equitable STEM Education

As contestants compete within Miss Wausau Area, Miss Wisconsin and through Miss America, each woman chooses a topic, or community service initiative, to promote throughout her potential year of service.

Hjelsand chose to focus on Equitable STEM Education after reading studies that show the gap of quality education for children between low income and wealthier families. She said she was shocked to learn how much lower low-income students were scoring, specifically in fourth grade.

“I was angry, I was mad,” Hjelsand said. “What can I do?”

Hjelsand decided to use her role as Miss Wausau Area and visit community centers, schools and organizations to connect children with scientists, provide science kits with projects and supplies for children to take home and to spread awareness of what they can do with a STEM education. Careers in the STEM field can help bring students out of poverty, as well, she said.

She has already reached out to third- and fourth-grade classes at six schools in Marathon County and four schools in Dane County where she attends college. While she’s primarily focusing on elementary schools because of the studies she read, she wants to help people of all ages learn more about STEM.

Hjelsand is most excited to visit the Boys & Girls Club of the Wausau Area. She often went there after school, and while at the time she was focused on dodgeball, she said she realizes now she could have been connecting with scientists, doing experiments and bolstering her love of STEM. She wants to go back and make a difference for other kids, leading science experiments or just sharing what types of jobs are out there.

Miss Wausau Area is a scholarship organization

Miss Wausau Area is a new local competition within the Miss America Organization. Hjelsand will go on to compete at Miss Wisconsin in June.

The focus on all programs within the Miss America Organization is on education and scholarships. Hjelsand earned $1,200 in scholarships from the Miss Wausau Area Competition − $1,000 as the titleholder, $100 as the overall fitness winner and $100 as the overall evening gown winner.

Hjelsand competed at the local level before, at Miss Madison last year and Miss Harbor Cities earlier this year. She also went to school with Grace Stanke, who is currently serving as Miss America.

As part of the Miss Wausau Area Competition, Hjelsand competed in interview, talent, evening gown, health and fitness and on-stage conversation categories.

Hjelsand said her favorite part was the interview portion, and she loved being able to talk with the judges individually ahead of the rest of the competition held on the stage. She worked through mock interviews to prepare.

She took a different approach to her talent and performed “Hiking Through,” a monologue about how hiking and backpacking can help someone work through larger life problems. She said performing that monologue on stage helped her connect with the audience in a different way. She used her father’s backpack as part of her performance − a backpack he used to climb Mount McKinley (now called Denali) when he was about her age.

The health and fitness category focuses more on how each candidate prioritizes health and fitness, giving each woman a question to answer on the topic. Hjelsand said she had skin cancer when she was younger, and she used the opportunity to focus on that portion of health and fitness.

During the evening gown portion of competition, Hjelsand said she channeled Lady Diana. She said that portion of competition is more about presence and being able to represent the area well on red carpets, whether that’s locally at events or traveling as Miss America.

Hjelsand said she learned so many invaluable skills while preparing for and competing in the Miss Wausau Area Competition, from confidence, stage presence and style to business skills and connecting with people in a professional manner. She said she learned how to dress for professional events and that has translated to her school career and presenting her research.

What’s next for Miss Wausau Area 2024?

Local titleholders like Hjelsand will meet in Oshkosh in June to compete for the Miss Wisconsin title. The winner of the state contest will go on to compete to become Miss America.

Hjelsand said she is looking forward to seeing how much she grows in the next six months ahead of the Miss Wisconsin competition, as well as how much she grows through her year of service as Miss Wausau Area.

“Every Miss America has to start somewhere,” she said.

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Contact Caitlin at cshuda@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @CaitlinShuda.

This article originally appeared on Wausau Daily Herald: Miss Wausau Area 2024: Lauren Hjelsand aims to bridge STEM gap