Little Miss Iowa crowns winners from Cedar Rapids, Iowa City

Two girls from Cedar Rapids and Iowa City came home with crowns from the Miss Iowa Youth Pageant this month.

Charlotte Harris, 9, of Cedar Rapids, was crowned Li’l Miss Iowa, and Cruz Shipp, 11, of Iowa City, was crowned Junior Miss Iowa at the pageant held earlier this month in Muscatine.

It was the first time in 15 years that girls from the Corridor were selected as winners in the annual competition.

“It felt like all that hard work paid off,” said Charlotte, a rising fourth-grader at Grant Wood Elementary. “It also felt like ‘Is this a dream?’ kind of thing.”

Cruz, 11, a rising sixth-grader at South East Middle School, said her nerves have lessened over the years she’s been competing as her confidence has grown.

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Even so, she was “surprised” by her win, she said.

As winners of the Miss Iowa Youth Pageant, Charlotte and Cruz will be riding in the Iowa State Fair parade next month and will be seen at other local fairs and community events during their reigns.

There were about 30 contestants between four categories: Li’l Miss Iowa for ages 6 to 9, Junior Miss Iowa for ages 10 to 12, and Li’l Miss Illinois and Junior Miss Illinois.

Next season, the Junior Miss division will expand to include 13-year-olds.

The competition has five elements: private interview, answering an extemporaneous question, talent, outfit of choice and party dress. Contestants also are expected to have completed volunteer hours in their communities.

Charlotte’s talent was a gymnastic and dance routine

In her interview, Charlotte said she talked about why she wants to be a sea lion trainer when she grows up. “The first time I went to a sea lion show, I saw the trainers made people happy, and I wanted to do that for other people,” she said.

Charlotte’s extemporaneous question was “Other than your parents, who is your role model?” She answered Olympic gymnast Simone Biles “because I want to be like her one day,” she said.

Charlotte’s mom, Stephanie Harris, said they were introduced to pageantry through the Miss Iowa Rising Stars program, which helps girls improve skills that promote self-confidence.

Harris said she was hesitant to put her daughter in pageants, but then she met contestants with the Miss Iowa and Miss Iowa’s Teen pageants through the Rising Stars program.

“I saw how passionate they are about their communities, how dedicated they are to the youth of this state and being good role models and how they are so articulate,” Harris said.

Through competing in Li’l Miss Iowa over the last two years, Charlotte has “gained a sense of community, stewardship and service,” Harris said.

“I feel really fortunate to be able to support her and what she wants to do so long as it’s something she’s enjoying, and I can see it’s still a healthy thing for her to be doing,” she added. “She shines on the stage. I think she likes the pretty dresses, too.”

Cruz agrees that pageants have a less than stellar reputation, but said she’s found amazing “sisterhood” in the experience.

“There are so many people there supporting you, and the public speaking skill you build is really amazing,” she said.

Cruz’s mom, Corina Shipp, said she’s watched her daughter “face her fears” through competition.

“Now she gets on stage like she’s supposed to be there,” Shipp said.

Cruz said she was asked in her interview about her community service work with CommUnity Crisis Services, a nonprofit in Iowa City that provides support for individuals facing emotional, food or financial crises.

“I try to tell as many people as possible about mental health resources. I’m a really big advocate for them,” Cruz said.

Cruz said she also talked about how she wants to be a teacher, like her mom, because she’s a “very energetic person” who can connect with kids.

“It’s one of the most rewarding careers,” Shipp said. “I think Cruz would be amazing. She’s helped me in my classroom since she was little, and she really does connect with kids.”

The pageant

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This was the 31st year of the Miss Iowa Youth Pageant. While the pageant was originally affiliated with Miss America, it is now independently operated by Stacy and Heather DeLong in Muscatine.

Since the DeLongs took over the program in 2018, the pageant has awarded contestants more than $50,000 in cash scholarships.

Both Li’l Miss and Junior Miss Iowa received a $1,250 scholarship. The pageant also gives scholarships for other aspects of the competition. For example, Charlotte also won the overall talent competition and received an additional $100 scholarship.

Charlotte said she put her winnings into a college fund.

The fee for participants to enter the competition is $350. Girls are able to get sponsorships to cover the cost.

For information about the Miss Iowa Youth Program and Li’l Miss Iowa competitions, go to their Facebook page or Instagram @MissIowaYouth.

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