Miss Minnesota 2011
On June 18, 2011, Natalie was crowned Miss Minnesota 2011 at the Eden Prairie High School Performing Arts Center. Natalie is no stranger to wearing the crown. In 2006, she was crowned Miss Minnesota's Outstanding Teen, and she was the first Outstanding Teen titleholder from Minnesota to claim the Miss Minnesota crown. Natalie went on to compete at the 2012 Miss America pageant at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas the following January. Almost 13,000 people vied for a chance to be one of the lucky 53 to make it to the Miss America stage that year.
At the Miss Minnesota pageant, Natalie won the preliminary Talent award for her vocal performance of Nessun Dorma from Giacomo Puccini's opera, Turandot. She won the preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness in Swimsuit award and the Miss America Community Service Award. She was also named a Quality of Life Award finalist for her dedication to her platform, Autism Awareness: The Missing Piece.
At the Miss America pageant, Natalie was recognized as one of eight Quality of Life Award Finalists and was given the opportunity to discuss her passion for the issue of Autism Spectrum Disorder with three former Miss Americas.
During her year as Miss Minnesota, Natalie served as an ambassador for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, partnering with Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare to raise money for Minnesota children in need of medical care. Thanks to the help of Miss Minnesota 1983 Vicki Plaster-Kueppers, she recorded an original lullaby CD entitled Sweet Dreams, which she sold to raise almost $6,000 for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.
Natalie also acted as the official spokesperson for the Autism Society of Minnesota, and she even had the chance to visit the national office in Bethesda, Maryland. She served on the planning committee for the annual Steps of Hope autism awareness walk. She gave opening remarks about the impact teachers have on the lives of special needs students at the Autism Society of Minnesota State Conference. She continued her involvement with Awesome Club, the social skills program for children with ASD she founded in 2008. She spoke at the State Capitol on National Autism Awareness Day. She had the incredible experience of facilitating a luncheon at the Governor Mark Dayton's residence to engage senators, state representatives, and members of the Department of Health in a dialogue about the major issues facing Minnesota’s Autism Spectrum Disorder community. During her year of service, she volunteered with numerous organizations, including the Autism Society of Minnesota, Autism Society of America, Autism Speaks, Fraser, ARC United, Autism Radio, CADE, Minnesota Autism Center, and many more.
To learn more about the Miss Minnesota Scholarship Program, visit www.missminnesota.org.
See photos and read stories from Natalie's year as Miss Minnesota! (View June 2011-June 2012 blogs)
Click the photos below to learn about Natalie's 5-year journey to winning the Miss Minnesota crown.
At the Miss Minnesota pageant, Natalie won the preliminary Talent award for her vocal performance of Nessun Dorma from Giacomo Puccini's opera, Turandot. She won the preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness in Swimsuit award and the Miss America Community Service Award. She was also named a Quality of Life Award finalist for her dedication to her platform, Autism Awareness: The Missing Piece.
At the Miss America pageant, Natalie was recognized as one of eight Quality of Life Award Finalists and was given the opportunity to discuss her passion for the issue of Autism Spectrum Disorder with three former Miss Americas.
During her year as Miss Minnesota, Natalie served as an ambassador for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, partnering with Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare to raise money for Minnesota children in need of medical care. Thanks to the help of Miss Minnesota 1983 Vicki Plaster-Kueppers, she recorded an original lullaby CD entitled Sweet Dreams, which she sold to raise almost $6,000 for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.
Natalie also acted as the official spokesperson for the Autism Society of Minnesota, and she even had the chance to visit the national office in Bethesda, Maryland. She served on the planning committee for the annual Steps of Hope autism awareness walk. She gave opening remarks about the impact teachers have on the lives of special needs students at the Autism Society of Minnesota State Conference. She continued her involvement with Awesome Club, the social skills program for children with ASD she founded in 2008. She spoke at the State Capitol on National Autism Awareness Day. She had the incredible experience of facilitating a luncheon at the Governor Mark Dayton's residence to engage senators, state representatives, and members of the Department of Health in a dialogue about the major issues facing Minnesota’s Autism Spectrum Disorder community. During her year of service, she volunteered with numerous organizations, including the Autism Society of Minnesota, Autism Society of America, Autism Speaks, Fraser, ARC United, Autism Radio, CADE, Minnesota Autism Center, and many more.
To learn more about the Miss Minnesota Scholarship Program, visit www.missminnesota.org.
See photos and read stories from Natalie's year as Miss Minnesota! (View June 2011-June 2012 blogs)
Click the photos below to learn about Natalie's 5-year journey to winning the Miss Minnesota crown.
Miss MN's Outstanding Teen 2006
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Miss South Central 2008
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Miss Mankato 2011
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