Duluth woman named Miss Minnesota

DULUTH, Minn. — A 19-year-old Duluth woman has been selected to represent the state as Miss Minnesota USA.

It’s the first time the Miss Minnesota USA titleholder has come from here, but the second year in a row that a University of Minnesota Duluth student has won a state pageant title. Last year Angie McDermott, a UMD student from Austin, Minn., won the title of Miss Minnesota on the Miss America track. Miss Minnesota USA competes in the Miss USA pageant.

Courtney Basara was crowned Miss Minnesota USA on Sunday night at a ceremony in Burnsville, Minn.

“I was in shock. I couldn’t stop crying,” she said.

In late March, three weeks in advance of the actual event, she will head to Las Vegas to compete in the nationally televised Miss USA pageant April 18.

Basara is majoring in industrial engineering and said she looks forward to busting down any ditzy beauty queen stereotypes. She points to her father, Bob Basara, an electrical engineer, as the source of her inspiration to enter a field long dominated by men. Basara said her education in industrial engineering could be put to use in a factory or processing setting, but her dream job would be to work as an “imagineer,” designing rides and theme park attractions for Disney.

She said that balancing her studies and pageant preparations has been challenging, but it has helped to develop strong time-management skills.

“Preparing for the pageant has kept me really focused,” Basara said. “But school has always come first.”

Courtney’s mother, Linda, said she’s proud of her daughter’s achievements.

“She works really hard and sets very high goals for herself. I think that’s one of the things that energizes Courtney, to show young women throughout the state and in northeast Minnesota that this is possible.”

Peter Passi is a reporter at the Duluth (Minn.) News Tribune, which is owned by Forum Communications Co.

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