May 21, 2013- Davenport, Iowa - The Miss Iowa Scholarship Program will host its statewide pageant June 6th-8th, 2013 at the historic Adler Theatre in Davenport Iowa.  In June 2012, Mariah Cary of Burlington, was named the 64th statewide titleholder. She then reached the Top 5 in the 2013 Miss America Competition.  Thirteen young ladies from across the state of Iowa will compete for the title of Miss Iowa 2013.  The new titleholder will continue on to Miss America which willbroadcast Live from the Atlantic City Boardwalk on Sunday, September 15.

Jessica Baker from Coralville is Miss Liberty. She is a sophomore at Western Illinois University. Baker's Talent is Baton Twirling and her platform is "Special Things for Special People."  She hopes to one day open a baton and dance studio. Baker is the 20 year old daughter of Jennifer Cole-Baker and Joel Baker.

Kristina Bell of Dubuque is Miss Great River. Bell is a graduate of Drake University with majors in International Business and Marketing.  She aspires to become a successful business owner. Her talent is Lyrical Dance and her platform is "Go Red for Women."  Bell is the 22 year old daughter of Kim Bell and Jerry Bell.

Isabella Blaine from West Des Moines is Miss Muscatine. Blaine is a freshman at Des Moines Area Community College majoring in Psychology. Her platform is "Indulging in Hope" and her ambition is to become a national motivational speaker to advocate for those affected by eating disorders as well as to open a clinic with an emphasis on eating disorder treatment. Blaine's talent is Dance-Musical Show. She is the 24 year old daughter of Jan Castagnoli.

Kaitlyn Cole, Miss Greater Des Moines, is from Fort Dodge. Cole is the 23 year old daughter of Dan and Sheila Cole. She attends Graduate School at Northwest Missouri State with a goal of teaching Marketing and Management classes. Cole's talent is Clogging and her platform is "Strengthening the Youth: Leaders of Tomorrow."

Abby Curtis is Miss Scott County. Abby is from Muscatine where she is a graduate of Muscatine Community College with plans to attend St Ambrose in the fall. Her major is Business Administration and Small Business Management with a goal of becoming a marketing and advertising manager. Curtis is the 21 year old daughter of Liz Curtis and Rick Curtis (Deceased). Her talent is Country Vocal and her platform is "Live United: The Silver Lining of Service."

Jessica Erbst, from Bettendorf, is Miss Eastern Iowa. She is the 18 year old daughter of Don and Amanda Erbst. Her talent is Vocal and her platform is "A Healthy Future: Encouraging Healthy Habits in Kids." Erbst will be a freshman at Iowa State University in the fall where she will major in Kinesiology. Her career ambition is to become a Physical Therapist.

Ashley Herrington of Clinton is Miss Clinton County. Herrington is a graduate of the University of Iowa where she earned a BA in Dance and Performing Arts Entrepreneurship. Her goal is to earn her MBA and own a dance studio. Herrington's platform is "Reaching Out Through Dance" and her talent is Ballet en Pointe. She is the 22 year old daughter of Charles and Debra Herrington.

Delaney Howell, from Columbus Junction, is Miss Louisa County Fair. Howell is the 18 year old daughter of Dale and Dana Howell. She is a sophomore at Northwest Missouri State University where she is majoring in Agriculture Education with plans to become a Collegiate or High School Agriculture Educator. Howell's talent is piano and her platform is "Ag in the Classroom."

Hailey Huey of Clear Lake is Miss Kossuth-Winnebago. Huey is a junior at the University of Iowa with a Health Studies/Dental major. Her career ambition is Dentistry/Orthodonics. Her platform is "Miles of Smiles" and her talent is Vocal. Huey is the 20 year old daughter of Dustin and Shannon Huey.

Nicole Kelly is Miss Metro.  She is from Keokuk and attends the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her major is Directing and Theatre Management and she aspires to work on Broadway. Kelly's talent is Vocal Solo and her platform is "VSA The International Organization on Arts & Disabilities: Overcoming Disability by using the Arts & Encouraging others to do the same." Kelly is the 22 year old daughter of Mike and Pam Kelly.

Amanda Manning is Miss Burlington. She is a graduate of St Ambrose University where she majored in Elementary Education. Manning's talent is Dance and her platform is "Loving Literacy at an Early Age." She is the 22 year old daughter of Ella Manning and Tom Manning.

Morgan Meinert of Iowa City is Miss Northeast Iowa. Meinert earned her BA in Biology from the University of Iowa and is working toward her Doctorate at the University of Iowa, College of Pharmacy. Her platform is "Defeating Diabetes: Raising Awareness and Promoting Healthy Habits."  Her talent is Ballet en Pointe.  Meinert is the 24 year old daughter of William Meinert and Lynn Crosby.

Taylor Wiebers of Clinton is Miss Johnson County. Wiebers will be a sophomore at the University of Iowa in the fall. Her ambition is to become a Music Therapist. Wiebers' talent is Vocal and her platform is "Kicking It To Kids Cancer." Taylor is the 19 year old daughter of Bob and Shannon Nielsen.

The Miss Iowa Scholarship Program will award nearly $20,000 in cash scholarships to the 2013 contestants as well as over $500,000 in in-kind scholarships.  Twenty four contestants will also compete for the titles of Miss Iowa's Outstanding teen, Junior Miss Iowa and Li'l Miss Iowa during Miss Iowa Week.  Tickets for Miss Iowa 2013 are available via the Adler Box Office, 136 E. Third St., Davenport, TicketMaster outlets and www.ticketmaster.com.  A ticket form is available to download and print at www.missiowa.com.

Follow the excitement of Miss Iowa Week on facebook! www.facebook.com/missiowa.

About the Miss Iowa Scholarship Program

An official preliminary to the Miss America Scholarship Pageant, the Miss Iowa Scholarship Program is dedicated to empowering young women to achieve their dreams and goals. The Miss Iowa Scholarship Program is a non-profit organization. Through the assistance of our local communities and scholarship patrons, the Miss Iowa Scholarship Program offers college scholarships to some of the most outstanding young women of Iowa. The Miss America Program is the largest scholarship organizations for women in the world. Total scholarship available annually at the local, state and national level totals over 45 million dollars.

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