Lauren Fellows is Miss South Central
Lauren Ann Fellows, daughter of Michael and Lori Fellows, has another crown to add to her collection –– Miss South Central. The 2011-12 Kolacky Queen recently earned the title that will put her in the running to compete in the Miss Minnesota pageant next June.
Lauren graduated from Montgomery-Lonsdale High School in 2012 and is starting her sophomore year at Winona State University where she is studying nursing. She said she had so much fun being Montgomery’s Kolacky Queen that she decided to enter the Miss South Central pageant.
“I grew so much as a person and it touched my heart to know that I was being a positive role model for young girls,” she said. “I wanted to experience that feeling again.” She added that she knew about the Miss South Central program through her mother, who had once served as a judge at that and other pageants in the Miss Minnesota circuit.
The pageant held Saturday, Aug. 3, in Waseca, included a 10-minute interview with the judges, two on-stage questions, swimsuit competition, a talent presentation, and evening gown competition.
“I admit I was one hundred percent sure I wasn’t going to win,” she said. “Something went wrong for me at every stage of the competition, except the talent.”
The judges obviously felt differently as they selected her to represent the south central region of Minnesota at local parades and pageants. And every other weekend she is required to attend Miss Minnesota preparation practices with her directors.
One reason she chose this particular pageant was because they require the candidates to advocate for a cause. Lauren’s platform is “Growing the Distance” to increase awareness of the importance of hair donation.
“I started donating my hair about four years ago with Locks of Love and then found out about the Pantene Beautiful Lengths organization,” Lauren stated. “It partners with the American Cancer Society and gives free, real hair wigs to women who have lost their hair from cancer treatment.”
Lauren said she did her research on the organization and continues to donate her hair to Pantene Beautiful Lengths, and encourages others to do so as well. As part of her reign, she would like to hold hair donation events, put donation boxes in salons, and attend Relay for Life events to spread the word about her special cause.
In addition to her personal campaign, as part of the Miss Minnesota organization she also advocates for the Children’s Miracle Network. She said she spent Thursday, Aug. 8 at Dairy Queen for Miracle Treat Day to encourage customers to buy blizzards in support of the Children’s Miracle Network. She will also volunteer at Gillette Children’s Hospital.
Lauren said she feels honored and blessed for the opportunity to bring the crown home to Montgomery, and knows she has a busy year ahead of her.
“I am determined to work hard in order to be prepared to compete for the title of Miss Minnesota in June,” she said.
The winner of Miss Minnesota goes on to compete for Miss America the following year.
