REDFIELD — Miranda Mack, a 21-year-old native of Redfield, was in for a surprise when she entered the Miss South Dakota pageant as Miss SDSU this year. She said she had made peace with the idea that she would not win it.
“I [thought] ‘I would love to do it in the future, but I am new and I’ve never done it. It is probably not my year,’” said Mack. “Then they kept calling names that weren’t my name. I was like, ‘Oh, top five, that’s cool!’ And then it was just me and one other girl, so I [thought], ‘Oh, I am first runner-up!’”
However, when Mack realized she was to be crowned Miss South Dakota, her reaction wasn’t what might be expected.
“You know, you think are going to be all happy and crying and everything and I was actually as cool as a cucumber because I was definitely in shock,” said Mack. “I was making these really weird expressions.”
After accepting the crown, Mack was launched into life as Miss South Dakota. Among her Miss S.D. responsibilities is promoting her platform, “Music for Life.” As a music education major at SDSU, Mack believes that music education is valuable to all people. She has been traveling to various schools throughout South Dakota to speak about it. She has also been vocally performing at both schools and nursing homes.
“You don’t have to be Beethoven to be involved,” said Mack. “Music still teaches you confidence and self-discipline. It brings people together and it has therapeutic uses. The elderly, the disabled and the ill — all kinds of people can participate.”
As Miss South Dakota, Mack also serves as the fundraising ambassador for Children’s Miracle Network. With the four points of her crown representing service, scholarship, style and success, Mack will be dedicating many hours to community service while keeping up with style, working out and eating healthy.
Photos:
Miranda Mack, top center, wearing her Miss SDSU sash, hams for the camera with people around the SDSU jalopy during the Miss S.D. Parade, June 17, in Hot Springs. Mack would be crowned later that evening.
Next, courtesy John D. Taylor/Hot Springs Star
An astounded Miranda Mack reacts as she is crowned as the 2017 Miss South Dakota by last year’s titleholder Julia Olson, on June 17 in Hot Springs.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF GRANDPRE PHOTOGRAPHY AND JOHN D. TAYLOR/HOT SPRINGS STAR, RESPECTIVELY