Maya Schuhknecht, a Spring 2023 Michigan State University graduate with a BFA in Graphic Design and the reigning Miss Michigan, is competing this week for the title of Miss America 2024.
The 2024 Miss America Competition is taking place Jan. 6-14 in Orlando, Florida, where 51 contestants are vying for the title of Miss America 2024 along with more than $500,000 in college scholarships. The 2024 Miss America Finals are on Sunday, Jan. 14, at 7 p.m. and will be live-streamed on WatchMissAmerica.com for free.
From Buchanan, Michigan, Schuhknecht was crowned Miss Michigan 2023 on June 17 at the Frauenthal Theater in downtown Muskegon following a three-day competition where she impressed the judges with her speed-painting talent by painting a portrait upside down within 90 seconds of former Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
“For so long, people told me ‘you will never be able to compete in Miss Michigan because you can’t sing or dance.’ I had to overcome that and do what I love. I am so excited to be a speed painter. The arts are my entire life. It’s my passion.”
“I made history by being the first ever speed painter in the competition,” Schuhknecht said. “It was such a cool opportunity being able to represent non-traditional talents. For so long, people told me ‘you will never be able to compete in Miss Michigan because you can’t sing or dance.’ I had to overcome that and do what I love. I am so excited to be a speed painter. The arts are my entire life. It’s my passion.”
Showing her passion for the arts in every way possible, Schuhknecht hand-painted her interview suit for the 2024 Miss America Competition.
“From the moment I was crowned Miss Michigan, I knew I wanted to hand-paint my interview suit. This power suit embodies my spunky personality, creativity, and artistic talents,” Schuhknecht shared on the Miss Michigan Facebook page following her Jan. 8 interview. “Interviewing for the job of Miss America was a dream come true. It was full of honesty, vulnerability, authenticity, and lots of color! My mission is to make people feel better through the arts and I am a living testimony to that statement. I walked into my interview today full of color, not only on my wardrobe but from within myself.”
“My mission is to make people feel better through the arts and I am a living testimony to that statement.”
As Miss Michigan 2023, Schuhknecht has traveled across the state sharing her talent and passion for the arts while advocating, educating, and ensuring that everyone has access to the arts through her social impact initiative, Art For All.
Schuhknecht also recently illustrated a coloring book as an educational and creative resource for people of all ages to learn about the women in the Miss Michigan Program, highlighting former Miss Michigans, their accomplishments, passions, and talents. The coloring book will be released after the Miss America competition and all proceeds from the sale of the coloring book will go toward scholarships and art donations.
This year marks the 96th installment of the Miss America Pageant, but the 102nd Miss America anniversary. The person who is crowned Miss America 2024 will receive a $50,000 tuition scholarship and the opportunity to travel across America.
There have been only five Miss Michigans crowned as Miss America in the history of the pageant with only one of those, Nancy Fleming Lange, being a graduate of Michigan State University. Lange, who was crowned Miss America in 1961, also had a unique talent. She won over judges at the state and national competitions with her sewing talent. She remains the only person to have won Miss Michigan or Miss America using sewing as a talent.
(Written by Kim Popiolek)
