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LAS VEGAS -- Miss Wisconsin-USA 2016 Katherine Patrice Redeker, 19, of Sheboygan, did not place among the 15 semi-finalists in the Miss USA pageant on June 5, but she did walk away with the title of Miss Photogenic.
The honor has only been bestowed on one other Wisconsin entrant, Elyzabeth Lee Pham, in the pageant’s 65-year history, according to a news release. Neither Redeker, nor Pham, then of Madison who won the award in 1999, placed in their respective Miss USA pageants.The Miss Photogenic voting took place the week leading up to national pageant and has nothing to do with the actual pageant judging.
In an interview back in May, Redeker told the Sheboygan Press that while she would like to secure the crown, she would be satisfied with her journey either way.
"Just representing Wisconsin on the Miss USA stage is a win in my book," she said.
Winning the 2016 Miss USA pageant was Miss District of Columbia-USA Deshauna Barber, 26, of Washington, D.C., who works for the U.S. Army.
As the new Miss USA, Barber moved to New York City last Monday after her victory and will prepare for the 2016 Miss Universe pageant later this year. She will be on leave of absence from the U.S. Army during her year of service as Miss USA, according to the release.
Redeker won the Miss Wisconsin-USA title on her first attempt in September. She became the first Sheboygan woman to earn the Miss Wisconsin-USA title in the pageant's 65-year history.
Additionally, Redeker, who was previously Miss Wisconsin Teen-USA in 2013, became the third former teen titleholder to later win the Miss Wisconsin-USA crown.
Interestingly enough, Redeker told the Sheboygan Press that she did not grow up entering pageants. In high school, she started seeing pageant ads on Facebook and decided to sign up on a whim, which ultimately was the start of her journey.
"It's definitely a bit humorous how it all started," Redeker said with a laugh.
Redeker told the Sheboygan Press that pageants have helped her grow as a person—not only through volunteer work opportunities, but also in learning to have greater courage in herself.
"I never expected to gain this much confidence in myself," Redeker said. "I mean, you're walking in front of thousands wearing just a swimsuit and heels. If you can do that, you can do anything; that confidence is something no one can ever take from me."
The 2017 Miss Wisconsin-USA and Miss Wisconsin Teen-USA combined state pageants are slated for Sept. 11 in Fond du Lac.
http://www.sheboyganpress.com/story/news/2016/06/14/sheboygan-native-miss-wisconsin-named-miss-photogenic/85871936/