Miss North Dakota reflects on Miss America Pageant

Miss North Dakota earned a top spot in the preliminary evening gown portion of the Miss America 2025 pageant. Sophia Richards did not secure the title of Miss America, but she had an outstanding performance in the evening gown portion of the competition, landing in the top 3 on January 1st. Though she did not advance to the top 11, Mankato native Emily Schumaker, tap-danced, earning her a spot. “It was an overwhelmingly positive experience,” Richards said, and was delighted when Miss Alabama Abbie Stockard was named Miss America 2025. Richards hopes to shed a positive light on women in pageants, and has “grad school almost completely paid off thanks to pageant wins,” she says.