The 2022 Miss Minnesota Scholarship Competition took place June 16th17th, 2022, at Grace Church in Eden Prairie, MN, where the state committee welcomed 22 candidates from around the state of Minnesota. Jasmin Kotek, Miss Hastings 2022, is the third titleholder to represent Hastings at the state competition since the revival of the Miss Hastings Scholarship Program in 2017.

Kotek was candidate #14 at the competition, which started with private tenminute candidate interviews on Wednesday, June 15th. The preliminary round continued Thursday, June 16th, on the stage at Grace Church with a live audience. Each candidate presented her Social Impact Initiative as an elevator pitch and answered an onstage question from the judging panel as a continuation of her private interview. Kotek’s Social Impact Initiative was #MINDwell: Moving in New Directions for Mental Wellness. It emphasizes “the urgent need to focus on mental health in our school systems.”

Kotek’s talent performance, a contemporary dance to Underground by Lindsey Stirling, featured a convertible costume that changed during her performance. For the Red Carpet category, she wore a white caped gown. Kotek was named a top 12 semifinalist the following night when the final competition was livestreamed. She won a $150 scholarship for her efforts and became the third Miss Hastings in a row to be a semifinalist at Miss Minnesota. With the state competition complete, Kotek was released from her Miss Hastings 2022 title on Saturday, June 18th, and has joined the Miss Hastings sisterhood of former titleholders.

The 2022 Miss Minnesota Scholarship Competition winner was Rachel Evangelisto of Minneapolis, who represented Winona. She is the first Native American to win the Miss Minnesota title and was awarded a $10,000 scholarship. A member of the Húŋkpapȟa Standing Rock Sioux tribe in South Dakota, Evangelisto’s Social Impact Initiative is Celebrating Culture and Driving Diversity. Evangelisto is a graduate of the University of Minnesota – Morris with a degree in Political Science and emphasis in Law. She is employed as a Guardian ad Litem for the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) Division of Minnesota and will represent our state in the Miss America Competition later this year.

The Miss America Organization, a 501©4 nonprofit organization, is the nation’s leading advocate for women’s education and the largest provider of scholarship assistance to young women in the United States. Miss America candidates and titleholders contribute thousands of community service hours annually and have raised millions of dollars for various nonprofits. All Miss America Organization scholarships may be used for education at any accredited college or trade school or applied to an existing student loan.