Cassandra Berger to compete in this weekend’s Miss Iowa USA® Pageant


Cassandra Berger... Photo by Veronica Farley, Demasque Photography.

People’s Choice voting begins this week

The Miss Iowa USA® and Miss Iowa Teen USA® competitions for 2018 are scheduled for this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, October 6-7 in Newton. Among this year’s contests for a second consecutive year will be Cassandra Berger, the daughter of Rusty and Cynthia Berger of Waukon who was a semifinalist in last year’s competition.

Berger is a 2012 graduate of Waukon High School who also graduated magna cum laude from the University of Dubuque in May 2016, having majored in Accounting, Human Resource Management and Business Administration. She is currently working to complete her Masters of Business Administration degree in the spring of 2019 at the University of Dubuque, currently working on campus as a Graduate Assistant in the Wendt Character Center, which brings together students who want to be proactive about developing their character and making the world around them better.

Sponsors helping make Berger’s participation possible in this year’s event include the University of Dubuque, Rusty Berger Masonry Inc., Mahr Excavating, Demasque Photography, Waukon State Bank, Waukon Dental, Gail Prestemon and Kerndt Brothers Bank.

VOTE FOR PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD
As part of this year’s pageant once again, individuals will be allowed to “donate” votes for a contestant through the People’s Choice Award program. Each dollar donated will represent one vote for the donor’s designated contestant choice, with donated proceeds benefiting a charity.

This year’s state titleholders will each receive thousands of dollars in prizes and awards. Most importantly, the new Miss Iowa USA and Miss Iowa Teen USA will have the opportunity to compete for the national titles of Miss USA® and Miss Teen USA®. The new Miss Iowa USA will compete with 50 other state titleholders for the coveted title of Miss USA, live on national television next spring.

“We are overwhelmed by the response and caliber of all the participants from Iowa,” Wallace said. “There is no better opportunity for ambitious young women out there today. The Miss Iowa USA and Miss Iowa Teen USA competitions offer area women a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to advance their personal and professional goals.”

The competition, which will be held at the Newton High School Auditorium at 4 p.m., consists of three proportional segments: evening gown, fitness/swimwear and personality interview. Eligible young women must be between the ages of 14 and 27 and be unmarried residents of Iowa.

The Miss Universe Organization (MUO) uses its global grassroots reach to empower women to be self-confident and strive to be their personal best. MUO believes that every woman should be “Confidently Beautiful.” The Miss Universe®, Miss USA®, and Miss Teen USA® beauty pageants provide an international platform through dedicated partnerships with charities, sponsors and brands around the world. During their reign, winners are given the tools to personally and professionally enrich others by providing humanitarian efforts to affect positive change while developing personal career goals.

Area young women interested in participating in next year’s pageant should contact Future Productions at 651-222-9650, email info@futureproductions.net or visit missiowausa.com or missiowateenusa.com.