Miss United States Visits Kurn Hattin Homes

The Kurn Hattin Home’s children had a special guest this week—2022 Miss United States, Lily K. Donaldson. She conducted a Valentine’s Day card workshop with the younger students, and gave science kits and books to the older students. They all received a personalized autographed photo, signed her lab coat, and some even got to try on her crown!

Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, Lily is currently working on her Ph.D. in Ecology and Agriculture from Rensselear Polytechnic Institute. She directs a non-profit called Art Technically which promotes art and STEM education.

What is the Miss USA contest?

The Miss United States competition annually selects a woman to represent the United States and promote her charitable cause during a year of service. The Miss United States pageant was notably depicted in Sandra Bullock’s 2000 comedy classic, Miss Congeniality. During the competition, women from all 50 states compete in interviews about their careers, education, and volunteer work; runway modeling; and in an onstage speaking portion that focuses on their chosen charitable causes.

What’s the difference between these pageants? The Miss America pageant is the oldest, and began as a bathing suit contest in the 1920s. The Miss United States competition began as a larger pageant organization focused on including women who were historically barred from competing in traditional pageants (namely married women and those over 25). The Miss USA pageant annually selects the U.S. representative for the Miss Universe pageant which has a strong focus on modeling.

“It was so wonderful to spend time with the students at Kurn Hattin Homes making Valentine’s Day cards and talking about STEM [science, technology, engineering, and math]. During my year as Miss United States, I’m traveling across the U.S. promoting STEM and arts education, and I was so excited to do that with these students here in Vermont. I hope they had fun and were inspired to become the best scientists and artists that they can be!” regaled Miss United States.

The students and staff had many questions for her. “She’s a scientist, is really smart, and she looks like a princess too!” said one of the students.