Ashley Young (Miss North Dakota)

Ashley Anne Young was Miss North Dakota 2007 ^[1] and competed in the Miss America 2008 pageant.

After being named first runner-up in the Miss North Dakota pageant 2006, Young went on the following year to earn the local Miss Grand Forks title and then went on to be crowned Miss North Dakota at the state pageant in Williston, North Dakota June 16, 2007. During her year as Miss North Dakota she spoke in 63 cities to over 55,000 students of North Dakota as well as students in South Dakota and Minnesota on the topic of “Stop Bullying in Schools: Saving the Spirit of a Child.”

Education

Young attended Red River High School in Grand Forks where her extra-curricular activities primarily centered on drama and music. She played the roles of Salome in the school production of The Robber Bridegroom and Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance.

After her Freshman year at North Dakota State University, Young took a year off to serve as Miss North Dakota. After giving up the Miss North Dakota title, she returned to NDSU where she is a Challey Music Scholarship recipient. Young pursued a degree in music and continued to perform with NDSU’s Madrigal Singers, Bison Arts ensemble, and the Concert Choir. She was initiated into the Omicron chapter of the music sorority, Sigma Alpha Iota and served as secretary to the chapter. She also continued in musical theater, playing Maria ^[2] in NDSU’s Little Country Theater production of West Side Story ^[3] and Lily in Secret Garden. In fall 2009, Young took first place in her division at the competitive Minnesota NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singing) auditions and first place in the spring 2010 in North Dakota NATS auditions. While at NDSU, she was inducted into the Blue Key Honor Society. On December 14, 2012, Young graduated with a Music Education degree from NDSU. She was the graduation soloist singing the National Anthem and the school’s song “The Yellow and the Green.”

Miss North Dakota 2007

On June 16, 2007, competing against 23 fellow contestants, Young was officially crowned Miss North Dakota. As Miss North Dakota, Young spent the majority of her year speaking to elementary, middle school, and high school students. Besides her work in schools, Young spoke to the North Dakota Association of School Administrators, the North Dakota State University Alumni Association and the State Student Council Conventions and State National Honor Society Convention. During her year, she was an ambassador for the Children's Miracle Network ^[4] and was an honored guest and speaker at North Dakota’s first "Chokecherry Days" in Williston, ND.

Young represented North Dakota in the Miss America pageant in Las Vegas, Nevada January 22–26, 2008. For her talent presentation, she performed the opera selection “Mein Herr Marquis” (also known as “The Laughing Song”) from Johann Strauss’ Die Fledermaus. On the final night of competition Young was named Miss Congeniality. ^[5] She was the first Miss North Dakota to receive this peer-nominated award. Following the national pageant, in another first for Miss North Dakota, Young was one of ten Miss America competitors invited to perform at the homecoming gala in Michigan for Miss America 2008, Kirsten Haglund. She then welcomed Haglund to North Dakota during her out-going week as Miss North Dakota. Young’s year as Miss North Dakota concluded on June 14, 2008. ^[6] Young continues to serve the Miss America pageant system in directing local pageants such as the Miss Fargo/Miss NDSU Pageant in Fargo, ND, and the Miss Minneapolis/Miss St. Paul Pageant in Maplewood, MN.

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