Arts & Entertainment
Miss Michigan USA 2013 Reflects on Life Post-Crown
Former Wyandotte resident Jaclyn Schultz is looking forward to continuing her marketing work, Masters studies at MSU and partnership with the MRKH Foundation.
Jaclyn Schultz, former Miss Wyandotte and Miss Michigan USA, has given up her crown and is looking forward to her life now that her time with pageantry has ended. The 2006 Roosevelt graduate has had a whirlwind year and has come away from the experience grateful for her supporters and loved ones.
“I am so thankful for everyone's support. Thankfully, Brogan and Partners were so flexible so I could attend appearances during the week. My [previous] teachers have gotten in touch with me and so many people have reached out through Facebook.”
On the top of her thank you list are her parents, Don and Susan Schultz, and Miss USA director Melissa Pitchford. Pitchford helped her through the entirely new processes and expectations of pageantry while her parents have always been her “backbone.”
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"The people of Wyandotte know the value of a dollar”
Schultz also credits her strong character to her upbringing in Wyandotte and holds the city, including favorite eateries Smokies and Frank's Pizza, as a favorite places to visit and patronize.
“It is where you are from that is important for the building of your character. The people of Wyandotte are hardworking, genuine, honest, and know the value of a dollar.” Schultz said.
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She also has a great deal of admiration and gratefulness for those who have supported her throughout her life and through the process of becoming and being Miss Michigan USA.
Now that her reign as Miss Michigan USA is done, Schultz is enjoying some time to herself. She recently visited the “Paint the Town Pink” ribbon cutting event in downtown Wyandotte and has been enjoying the mild autumn weather by visiting the Franklin Cider Mill and strolling around downtown Birmingham with ice cream in hand.
What's next for Jaclyn?
Schultz has no plans to compete in any more pageants because for her, Miss USA is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and she can't participate, in what she calls “the Super Bowl of pageants”, again. Instead she is focusing on her work as a Media Specialist at Brogan and Partners of Birmingham, continuing her Masters studies at Michigan State University and staying actively involved with the Beautiful You MRKH Foundation.
“My plans are to stay in the marketing field, finish my Masters degree and staying involved with Beautiful You. Everything the same as before but just without the sash and the crown.” Schultz said.
The Foundation is especially important to Schultz because it has provided a sense of sisterhood with other women who suffer the same congenital condition as she—the Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser Syndrome—which results in women being born with an incomplete reproductive system. She has grappled with her diagnosis since high school and brought light to the mission of the organization during her reign as Miss Michigan USA.
“It has been nice to connect with others who have felt the same way as I have.”
Advice for the new Miss Michigan
This week Schultz is meeting with Elizabeth Ivezaj, the new Miss Michigan USA and her advice for the new wearer of the crown is to take it all in because the year will just fly by.
“I would tell her [Ivezaj] to keep a journal of the year and embrace every moment. The year goes by so fast.”
To find out more about the Beautiful You MRKH Foundation or how you can contribute, please visit their website.
