The Miss Hastings Scholarship Program (MHSP) is thrilled to announce the winner of the 2021 Miss Hastings Scholarship Competition! Jasmin Kotek was crowned Miss Hastings 2022 on Saturday afternoon, October 9th, at Crossroads Church in Hastings. Jasmin is a senior at Minnesota State University, Mankato, with a double major in secondary mathematics education and science communication studies.

The Miss America Organization (MAO) requires each of its candidates and titleholders to advocate a cause she is inspired to promote. Called a Social Impact Initiative (SII), participants plan how to bring it to life and share it with the judges with their Social Impact Pitch. Jasmin’s Social Impact Initiative is MIND: Moving in New Directions Toward Mental Wellness. She seeks to inform, influence, and empathize about mental wellness and create an open dialogue to discuss it across each generation within our community. For her talent, Jasmin performed a jazz dance to “Puttin’ on the Ritz.”

The other candidates were Jocelyn Giefer and Julia Kurzawski. Jocelyn is a graduate of the University of Minnesota- Morris, with a bachelor’s degree in business management and minors in communications and sports management. She sang the pop song “Skyfall” for her talent presentation. Julia is a freshman at the University of Wisconsin, River Falls taking exploratory classes to develop a career that helps others. Her talent was a silk flag and rifle routine to “Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity,” by Gustav Holst.

A 501(c)3 charitable non-profit and official preliminary program of the Miss America Organization, MHSP will give Miss Hastings a $1,000 educational scholarship, $300 to her first runner-up, and $100 to her second runner-up. MHSP will present A $100 scholarship to each winner of the Talent Award, the People’s Choice Award, and the Spirit of Miss America Award. Jocelyn Giefer won the People’s Choice Award. Kotek won the Spirit of Miss America Award and the Talent Award. Next June, Miss Hastings 2022 will compete for the Miss Minnesota 2022 title at Grace Church in Eden Prairie.

The 2021 Miss Hastings Scholarship Competition was hosted by Miss Hastings 2020 Sophie Keeler with Mike Bremer of HCTV’s “Take a Hike, Mike!” Miss Minnesota 2021 Elle Mark and Miss Minnesota’s Outstanding Teen Bella Grill were special guests at the event. Mark is a vocalist, and Grill is a dancer. The competition featured guests Reese Kuglin and Hailey Sherry from Jan’s School of Dance, who performed an award-winning lyrical dance duet. A silent auction and raffle presented prizes from Hastings businesses at the event.

For more information about MHSP or to schedule Miss Hastings 2022 for your next special event or service project, please contact Executive Director Janelle Behny at 651-2708984 or email at [email protected]

The ladies of the Miss Hastings Scholarship Program after the crowning of Miss Hastings 2022. Left to Right, Miss Hastings Executive Director Janelle Behny, Miss Hastings 2022 Jasmin Kotek, Candidate Jocelyn Giefer, Candidate Julia Kurzawski, Miss Hastings 2020 Sophie Keeler. Photo by Bruce Karnick