Westfield High School senior Keegan Connor will represent the Hoosier state as Miss Indiana’s Teen Jan. 8 through 14 in Orlando, Fla., as she vies for the title of Miss America’s Teen.
Founded in 2005 as Miss America’s sister program, Miss America’s Teen is open to young women ages 13 to 18, who must first compete and win at the local and state levels.
Connor won the title of Miss Indiana’s Teen June 17, 2023, only five days after having an emergency appendectomy. She also received the Denise Hendrix Outstanding Teen Vocal Award.
At Hard Rock Cafe Live Jan. 11, Connor will sing “Journey to the Past” from Anastasia, a song with which she won the talent competition when she competed for Miss Indiana’s Teen in 2022.
“There’s a line that says, ‘Home, love, family,’” Connor said. “Every time I say that on stage, it immediately grounds me and takes me to why I am doing this.”
In January 2023, the Miss America’s new CEO, Robin Fleming, rebranded the Miss America Organization as the Miss America Opportunity to better reflect the program’s platform for empowering women to lead in all areas of life from philanthropy to politics and from arts to academia.
Even before the change in name and leadership, MAO had removed the swimsuit portion of the competition, replacing it with a segment where participants wear workout clothes and are scored on how they incorporate fitness into their daily lives.
In both Miss America and Miss America’s Teen, which will take place that week in Orlando, the fitness category counts 20 percent of participants’ overall scores, the same percentage as talent and evening wear. At 30 percent, the interview now counts for a larger portion of the final score and answering an onstage question accounts for the remaining 10 percent.
The top 11 contestants after preliminary competitions, will enter the finals with their previous scores counting for 30 percent and will compete again in the talent, fitness and evening wear categories at the Walt Disney Theater Jan. 13 for Miss America’s Teen and Jan. 14 for Miss America. The top 5 will once again answer an onstage question.
“Miss America has new partnerships that are all very women-centric,” Connor said. “I’m excited for all the changes. It’s a lot, but it’s all really good.”
For example, at the Miss America Goes Red Gala Jan. 12, MAO will partner with the American Heart Association women’s initiative to help raise heart health awareness. Each of the 102 participants in Miss America and Miss America’s Teen will be provided a red Jovani dress to wear to the red-carpet event.
Overall, Connor has earned approximately $13,000 in scholarship money through her participation in the Miss Indiana’s Teen program. She will come home from Florida with $30,000 more if she wins the title of Miss America’s Teen.
“That’s why I urge so many people to participate,” Connor said.
For more, go to missamerica.org or follow Connor on social media @keeganconnormusic.
Keegan Cares: Scoliosis Awareness
When Connor was 13, she was diagnosed with scoliosis, a curvature of the spine with rotation. Connor’s spinal curve measured 48 degrees.
“I was sobbing because I thought my dream of performing on Broadway was over,” Connor said.
Thankfully, the same month Connor was diagnosed, a new procedure called Vertebral Body Tethering was approved. She ended up having one of the first 1,000 procedures, in which titanium screws attached to her spine were tethered by a strong cord. Her curvature decreased by almost half immediately following the surgery. Now the curve in her spine is down to 12 degrees.
“I started my nonprofit because it was a shock to me, and I didn’t want other kids to have to go through that,” Connor said.
In 2007, the state of Indiana repealed mandatory scoliosis checks in schools. Nevertheless, more than 3 million people are diagnosed in the U.S. each year.
Though Connor was an active kid in track, gymnastics and musical theater, it was an orthodontist’s assistant who first noticed some of the signs of scoliosis.
“Taking those checks out of schools goes against caring for our kids,” Connor said.
In addition to speaking to young people and mentoring kids and families through Keegan Cares, Connor is also working on writing a bill with Indiana Representatives Victoria Garcia Wilburn (D) and Cindy Ledbetter (R). Wilburn has scoliosis herself and is mother to three kids including one Connor’s age. The bill, being called the Keegan Cares Bill for the time being, would put scoliosis screenings back in schools.
Connor received the Joy of Life Social Impact Award for the work she has done to raise awareness about signs and treatment of scoliosis and the importance of early diagnosis. To learn more, go to keegancares.com.
