A Chance Meeting.

Colleen M Foxley shared a link. Her mother spoke out, "Come and meet the current Miss Amazing!" You can't help but stop right in your tracks to meet her and immediately be drawn to her. I was at a garage sale and it turns out was raising funds for Mikayla Holmgren to take the trip to L.A. to participate at the national level. I was so glad to have met this important, young woman. I also need to say that her Mother was is equally amazing! so nice meeting them...looking for a photo. to post! Marine on St. Croix woman crowned Minnesota Miss Amazing Mikayla Holmgren of Marine on St. Croix was crowned Minnesota Miss Amazing 2015 in the pageant's junior miss division Saturday at the University of St. Th TWINCITIES.COM Mikayla Holmgren, left, gets an escort Saturday from her friend David Kaetterhenry, a classmate at St. Croix Preparatory Academy, at the Minnesota Miss Mikayla Holmgren, left, gets an escort Saturday from her friend David Kaetterhenry, a classmate at St. Croix Preparatory Academy, at the Minnesota Miss Amazing pageant at the University of St. Thomas. Holmgren was crowned the 2015 Miss Amazing Junior Miss and will go to the National Pageant in July, which coincides with the Special Olympics World Games. (Courtesy photo) Everyone who knows Mikayla Holmgren knows she is amazing. Now the state of Minnesota knows it, too. Holmgren, 20, of Marine on St. Croix was crowned Minnesota Miss Amazing 2015 in the pageant's junior miss division Saturday at the University of St. Thomas. The pageant is for girls and women with special needs. Holmgren, who has Down syndrome, will travel to Los Angeles in July to compete in the National Miss Amazing Pageant, which will coincide with the Special Olympics World Games. Holmgren, a dancer, gymnast and golfer, performed a rhythmic dance routine to her favorite song, Moriah Peters' "Bloom," for the talent portion of the pageant. "Dancing is my passion," Holmgren said. "I've been dancing since I was 1 year old. I started taking lessons when I was 7. I practice all the time." Holmgren, a student in the Transition Program at St. Croix Preparatory Academy in Baytown Township, dances with a troupe at Inspiration Performing Arts Center in Mahtomedi. She also does gymnastics at Flyaways Gold Gymnastics at Forest Lake and with the adaptive cheer squad at Crowley's Gymnastics in Oakdale. She plans to start at Bethel University in Arden Hills in fall 2016; Bethel University's Inclusive Learning and Development (BUILD) is a two-year post-secondary program for students with intellectual disabilities. Holmgren's parents, Sandi and Craig Holmgren, said competing in the pageant was a good challenge for their daughter. Advertisement "We really want her to go through interviews and talk to people," Sandi Holmgren said. "That was a big portion of it. She needs to learn how to do this. (Competing in the pageant) helped her gain confidence. She did a wonderful job." Holmgren, who wore a red evening gown at the event, said the pageant's five judges asked her about family, friends and activities. "I wasn't nervous going in," she said. "I'm not shy." The judges were impressed with Holmgren's smile and poise, said Jordan Crosser, the pageant's state director. "And even though talent isn't judged, after watching her shine in her self-choreographed dance, I knew in my heart that she was well- suited for the position. She shines onstage." Crosser, 23, is a senior at the University of Minnesota who is studying psychology, theater and American Sign Language. She grew up in Clear Lake, Iowa, and is a former Miss Teen Iowa World. Crosser said she learned about the Miss Amazing pageant, which started in Nebraska in 2007, while competing in Iowa in 2010. She began volunteering in 2011, and the first Minnesota Miss Amazing pageant was held in 2012. Twenty-six girls and women, ranging in age from 5 to 37, competed in the pageant. Some, like Holmgren, had Down syndrome; others had hydrocephalus, cerebral palsy, spina bifida and autism or were nonverbal. The five other queens crowned were: Faith Norby of Mabel as Preteen, Julie Pascavage of North Branch as Junior Teen, Emily Gottwald of St. Martin as Teen, Sue Yang of Minneapolis as Miss and Megan Wibben of Rochester as Senior Miss. "Everyone is recognized," said Crosser, who lives in Minneapolis. "At the end of the night, everybody gets a crown. They all get trophies. They all get flowers. To me, that's the beauty of it all: Everybody walks away as Miss Amazing." Mary Divine can be reached at 651-228-5443. Follow her at twitter.com/MaryEDivine.