HOT SPRINGS — Isabella Garcia, Amber Hulse and Carrie Wintle were announced as finalists for the Quality of Life scholarship at the 2017 Miss South Dakota Pageant; and Evy Johnson, Kaitlin O’Neill and Wintle are finalists for the Community Service Scholarship  
The final announcement will be made Saturday night at the pageant finale. The winner of each will receive a $500 scholarship.
The Quality of Life scholarship is awarded to the contestant who has fulfilled a legitimate need in their community through the creation, development and participation in a community service project in the area of her platform. Specific attention was given to the depth of service, creativity of the project, significance and lasting impact on the community.
• Miss Rolling Plains Isabella Garcia of Sioux Falls, has made it her mission to break down language barriers in the nursing field. After noticing that patients who spoke little to no English had a hard time communicating problems with their medical staff, Garcia set off to bridge the gap by creating a booklet that contains the three most common languages spoken in hospitals along with images so patients can more comfortably communicate with their medical team and get the care they deserve.
• Noticing that South Dakota students are behind the national average in college degrees, Miss Central State’s Fair Amber Hulse of Hot Springs made it her mission to bring students the information they need to make better decisions regarding their choice in college. By teaming up with Dakota Association for College Admission Counseling, she has provided rural schools and their guidance counselors with information on how to help navigate the complex world of college prep and application.
 • After watching a family member struggle with math, Miss Rushmore Carrie Wintle of Iroquois found a way to bring finances to our nation’s youth in a way they understand. She authored and illustrated a book called “Mr. Money Sheep” and then donated 800 books to the Native American Reservations across South Dakota. She has reached out to over 45 schools and uses proceeds from sales to donate books to lower income students in South Dakota as well.

The Community Service Scholarship is awarded to the contestant who has demonstrated dedication to service to their community and state through volunteerism. Although highly encouraged, their community service does not have to be directly related to their platform. They must be able to show how their volunteerism helped the community and how they have personally benefitted from it.
The three finalists are:
• Miss Missouri Valley, Evy Johnson, of Firesteel. Evy used her skills as a musician to help bring comfort and entertainment to senior citizens in her community. She spends hours each week singing and working with seniors in the assisted living centers around her while receiving huge commendations from the coordinators for her time and effort and the professionalism she demonstrates.
• Miss Wheel Jam, Kaitlin O’Neill, of Aberdeen. While working at Camp DreamMakers, Kaitlin discovered her enthusiasm for working with children who have disabilities. She combined her love of kids with her passion for dance and created a program that allows kids at Camp DreamMakers to explore their talent and interest in dancing. Her director stated that she uses her gift of dance to make each camper feel special and loved.
• Miss Rushmore, Carrie Wintle of Iroquois. Using her unique hair color, Carrie set out to make fundraising and volunteering fun. She dressed as Ariel from the Little Mermaid and attended eight birthday parties to raise money for Children’s Miracle Network (CMN). She also serves as the chair for Dakotathon, USD’s dance marathon for CMN, raising over $115,000.
Showtime for the pageant this week is 6 p.m. on today, Friday and Saturday at the Mueller Center in Hot Springs. A pageant parade will take place through downtown Hot Springs on Saturday at 10 a.m.
Tickets are available by calling (605) 745-5224 or on the website at http://www.misssd.org/buy-tickets-now. Please visit www.misssd.org for box office hours and prices.
Voting is still open for The People’s Choice at the pageant, and YOU can have a vote on who will be one of the finalists for Miss South Dakota 2017. The People’s Choice winner will compete in the pageant finals and receive a $500 People’s Choice Award Scholarship.
You can vote at  www.misssd.org/vote-now. Each vote costs $1 and you can vote as many times for as many contestants as you wish. Proceeds will benefit the pageant scholarship fund.
The new Miss South Dakota will compete at the Miss America Pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in September. The Miss America Pageant will air on ABC on Sunday, Sept. 10.
More information about contestants, the pageant, and pageant tickets is available at misssd.org.