Not just a sash and a crown

"I remember the day I decided to get involved with the Miss America program," said Kate Gorman, a senior at UW-La Crosse and this year's Miss Oktoberfest.  She was sitting in her grandmother's living room, watching Miss America as Miss Illinois performed her dance routine.  Kate's grandmother told her, "Kate, you can do this.  You can be someone who little girls like you look up to."  Four years later she became Miss Onalaska in 2007 and has been "hooked on competing in the Miss America pageant" ever since.  Apart from being Miss Onalaska, she has been the first runner-up for Miss La Crosse and Miss Seven Rivers and has now gained the title of Miss La Crosse for 2011.

 When questioned on what drew her in to get involved with the entire program in the first place, she responded, "It was the scholarship program.  Also, the community involvement is amazing!  You have the chance to get in a lot of community service, make great contacts, and really work on your networking skills."  

Kate assisted in coordinating the Hunger Forum (2010) and has volunteered with the La Crosse Hunger Task Force (2010, 2011), WAFER (2010, 2011), and United Way (2011).  She is very dedicated to her platform, "Taking a Healthy Bite Out of Hunger: Increasing the Amount of Healthy Food Donations in Your Neighborhood," and, as Miss Oktoberfest, hopes to go a long way with it, including making a cookbook with Midwestern and German themed recipes and alternative ways to make them healthier.

Not only will her dedication help her to succeed, but behind Kate is a great support system, which includes her two brothers, Sean and Kellen.  "They had no idea what they were getting into," she admitted about her family, who didn't always understand all of her involvement at first, "but they have always supported me."

Of course, even with support, there are sometimes cons that tend to come along with the pros.  When asked if there are any aspects that she dislikes about the Miss America program, Kate said, "Oh, yeah, the stigma is the worst.  When everyone thinks of Miss America, they confuse it with Miss USA and think of Donald Trump, and they believe that all we care about is looking good."

 With that said, on the subject of what it takes to be Miss Oktoberfest, she added, "They take this very seriously because you are representing this city."  Something that Kate really wants is for people to differentiate between Miss USA, a program that is looked down upon by many, and Miss America, the world's leading provider of scholarships for young women.  "I don't think people realize all the good with the program," she said.  "Get to know us."