DSU partners with Miss America for 2nd year

Amy Crissinger (left) and President Griffiths (right) congratulated the 2019 DSU/Beacom College STEM Scholarship winner Simone Esters at the 2019 Miss American Competition. /Dakota State University

Dakota State University will again offer a scholarship opportunity to one of the 51 contestants at the 2022 Miss America Competition, held next week in Connecticut.

The Dakota State University and Beacom College of Computer and Cyber Sciences STEM Scholarship, first offered in 2019, is intended to broaden recognition of the importance of science, technology, engineering, and math education.

The award is based on a writing competition, and includes a cash award, and the ability to enroll at DSU for either an undergraduate or post-graduate degree in one of The Beacom College programs of study. The total scholarship value could exceed 85-thousand dollars.

The writing contest includes a blog post, a tweet, and an Instagram post. The question for this year’s contestants deals with balancing technology’s advantages with concerns about privacy and safety. A panel from Dakota State will judge the essays, and the winner will be announced on Tuesday, December 14th.

The first scholarship was won in 2019 by Simone Esters, Miss Missouri. The Miss America competition was not held in 2020 due to COVID-19.

MAO will feature a new and enhanced format, allowing audiences to stream the event live across all time zones. Two nights of preliminary competitions on Dec. 12 and 13 will be streamed on WatchMissAmerica.com. NBC’s Peacock TV is streaming the final competition live on December 16, beginning at 8 p.m. ET.