El Dorado Ambassadors Shine

Butler County Represented at Miss Kansas

Gorgeous weather in Pratt, last week, provided the perfect backdrop for Sierra Marie Bonn, Miss El Dorado (who serves the Miss America Organization as Miss Butler County); Suzannah Bowden, Miss Golden Road, (who serves as Miss Ruby Slippers); and Jordan Burford Miss Sunflower Fest, (who serves as Miss Heartland) to participate in the Miss Kansas Scholarship Competition.

Left to right: Suzannah Bowden, Sierra Marie Bonn and Jordan Burford

They were each awarded $1,500 for reaching the Miss Kansas stage. 

The week began as they checked in to Miss Kansas Week on Tuesday, June 7th and hit the ground running with a welcome ceremony that included the announcement of the Top 5 Finalists for the Social Impact Initiative (SII) Scholarship.

Social Impact Initiative Top 5 Finalists (from left to right) are Suzannah Bowden, Courtney Wages, Sierra Marie Bonn, Jetta Smith and Katelyn Andrist.

Congratulations are in order to Bonn who earned another $1,000 for her SII work on “Let’s Go Full STEAM Ahead!” and Bowden who earned another $500 for her SII work on “Mentoring the Next.”

They spent the first full day in rehearsals and meeting sponsors.  Wednesday brought more rehearsals, sponsor visits and the Private Interview portion of the competition.  During the interview with the judges they were able to share their heart and passion for their Community Service and the impact they have made through their SII.

Thursday brought another full day of rehearsals, sponsor visits and Preliminary Night One, which showcased the young women’s strengths on stage with Social Impact Pitch and On Stage Question, Talent Performance and Red Carpet Wear.  Each of the categories allowed the women to express their unique personal style and confidence in the Pratt Community College arena to a few hundred people. 

From left to right: Sierra Marie Bonn, Kennedy Bables, Kaydence Dawson, and Madelyn Olson.

Friday, June 10th brought another full day of rehearsals and Preliminary Night Two and the official check-in for our Sunflower Princesses. Kennedy Bables, Kaydence Dawson, Madelyn Olson and Juliana Burford represented El Dorado this year and their enthusiasm and encouragement was contagious as they cheered on the girls.

Juliana Buford joined her sister Jordan during Miss Kansas Week.

They started the day receiving their crowns and swag. They participated in mentoring sessions, a paint party, pizza party and ended their day by watching the girls on-stage. 

Sierra was awarded the $1,000 Esther Scholarship and earned another $750 in cash for her fundraising and recruiting work.

Sierra Marie Bonn signing autographs during an event prior to the parade.  Her costume and shoes promoted her social impact initiative “Let’s Go Full STEAM Ahead!” as well as highlighting the Kansas Tourism motto, “To The Stars”

Saturday is always filled with fun events and this year was no different.  First up was an autograph signing session followed by the Show Us Your Shoes parade downtown. 

Suzannah Bowden was dressed in a blue gingham with red rhinestone shoes to showcase her title of Miss Ruby Slippers.

Jordan Burford decorated her shoes and costume with butterflies to help bring awareness to her social impact initiative, “Raising Awareness For Child Loss”

The afternoon was filled with more rehearsals in preparation for the final competition while the Sunflowers had a skate party and tour of the Pratt County Historical Museum.

During Finals, the Sunflowers had their special runway show and a pajama viewing party. In total, Jordan, Suzannah and Sierra earned almost $8,000 in scholarships to continue their educational pursuits. 

Kaydance Dawson and Kennedy Bables in their Sunflower Princess crowns and t-shirts during the parade.

“The Miss El Dorado Ambassadors are so appreciative of the sponsors and supporters of the program.  Their support enables young women from our community to develop personal and professional skills, pursue their education and in turn, reinvest in our community through various initiatives and community service projects,” said Bonn.  

Please contact the Miss El Dorado Ambassadors to learn how you or your organization can help support the Miss El Dorado Ambassadors.