An aide to U.S. Sen. John Hoeven of north dakota will represent the Peace Garden State at this year’s Miss America pageant. One of the latest to win a state title, Cara Munt was crowned Miss North Dakota 2017 on Saturday after four nights of pageant competition at Bakken Auditorium in Williston, North Dakota. Munt was among 19 contestants who qualified for the state competition after winning local, affiliated pageants.
Busy in DC
According to her LinkedIn profile, Munt joined Hoeven’s staff last August. Her responsibilities include attending congressional hearings and to provide written correspondence related to state and national health care policy.
She helps the senator stay informed by preparing morning and afternoon news briefings for him, and communicates with his constituents on a wide variety of policies, including the Dakota Access Pipeline and Social Security.
Make-a-Wish
Munt is also the founder of the Make-a-Wish Fashion Show in North Dakota, which raises funds for children facing severe medical crises. According to Munt, she has raised more than $65,000 for children. Munt has also worked at Brown University as a teaching assistant, research assistant campus tour guide. She is a professional dancer, working in a variety of staff positions for dance companies.
National stage as teen
The Miss America pageant will mark Munt’s second appearance on a major, national pageant stage.
In 2009, she was crowned Miss North Dakota’s Outstanding Teen. She went on to compete for Miss America’s Outstanding Teen, where she received high score honors in talent and interview competition. She was also named a scholarship award winner. The teen competition is the younger-sister pageant within the Miss America Organization for girls ages 13-17 years.
Pageant set for early September
The Miss America 2018 pageant is set for September 6 -10 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. There will be three nights of preliminary competition, Sept. 6-8. On Sept. 9, Munt and other contestants will participate in the “Show Us Your Shoes” parade. Final night of competition is set for September 10.
The event will be carried live by ABC. If Munt is crowned Miss America, she will become the first contestant from North Dakota to reign in the pageant’s top spot. Three North Dakotans have placed in the top 10. The latest to finish that high is Miss North Dakota 1998 Rixana Saberi. Miss North Dakota 2015 Jacky Arness finished in the top 16.
