McKee heading back to national pageant after 2022 setback

Sometimes advocacy has to start with one's self.

Young Neveya McKee was excited to compete in the National American Miss pageant in Florida last year, after placing in the top 10 Miss Iowa competitors the previous November and earning the pageant's Miss Spirit Award.

But she didn't get to go.

McKee, who has been diagnosed with ADHD and copes with anxiety-related issues, uses her pageant platform to advocate for mental health. And unfortunately, her own mental health required some extra attention ahead of the 2022 pageant, and her parents made the decision to pull her from the national competition.

The 9-year-old's mother Jezzika said the decision turned out to be the best one the family could have made, saying that her daughter put in a lot of work after a change in her therapy and returned to the state pageant in another attempt to qualify for this year's nationals.

And her work paid off.

She placed higher than she did the previous year and will be competing as Miss Okoboji for the title of All American Miss during the national pageant in Flordia this fall.

"I was just really excited," she said of qualifying again. "I didn't even know I was going to nationals until I walked down to my parents. I was like, 'I got top 10 again.' And they were like, 'No you didn't. You got top three,' and I started crying."

According to competition information, 70 percent of a National American Miss contestant's score is based on their personal introduction, interview with judges and community involvement — less than a third of the total score comes from a formal wear competition on pageant weekend.

Young McKee felt all the aspects of her state pageant went well, demonstrating what she called an obsession with marine biology for the judges as part of an art contest. She said she's been interested in marine biology since she turned 2-years-old — a number her mother questioned, but she did say her daughter vowed to " make the sharks good again" from an early age.

"But I found out that I'm not supposed to make the sharks good again, because they were already good," McKee said. "I need to make the humans good again, because they're the ones being mean to the sharks most of the time."

The 9-year-old pageant participant has since become knowledgable on the subject of not only marine wildlife but pollution which can affect their environments — specifically items collected for recycling, which she said are often just disposed of in a different location. McKee also took part in a beach clean up day organized by local clothing store Animal House in early June, and she plans to help during the annual Okoboji Blue Water Festival in Arnolds Park next month as she did last year.

The National American Miss competition will take place in Florida during the week of Thanksgiving — McKee hopes to visit Sea World as well as the beach while they're in the Sunshine State.

In the meantime, she is raising sponsor funds for the upcoming pageant. A number of local businesses have stepped up again to support the young girl. In particular, Black Earth Java has created a drink in support of the 9-year-old — the "Miss Okoboji." McKee said she and her family helped develop the drink a matter of weeks ago, theming the flavors around her allergy to red dye.

The drink features a blend of strawberry, raspberry and cupcake flavors — plus some eatable sparkles for that glam factor. McKee explained that none of the naturally red ingredients trigger her allergy.

"I was very surprised because they were all red things," Nevaya said.

She indicated that talking to potential sponsors has helped her practice real world skills as she overcomes occasional shyness in speaking with adults.

"I love the work she's put into this," her mother said, noting her daughter insisted on wearing her pink pageant dress to mingle with the public during last week's Makers Market in downtown Spirit Lake. "She's really come out of her shell."