Miss North Dakota 2016 was crowned, and she’s from the Magic City. Macy Christianson, who was previously Miss Grand Forks, received her winning crown in Williston Saturday.

While Christianson is now accumulating quite the collection of crowns (Christianson was also named Miss Norsk Hostfest in 2014), she was initially hesitant to participate. “I had this bad stereotype of them,” said Christianson.

While critics consider the event degrading towards women, Christianson saw an opportunity for female empowerment. “It’s not just a beauty pageant,” she said. What ended up changing her view was the leadership opportunity it presented. While Miss USA is based off of modeling, Miss America is centered on service. Her platform issue is “You Decide the Road Ahead,” with the objective of preventing drunk driving. She saw the pageant as a platform to help curb impaired driving, a subject that hits home for Christianson. “My older brother was in an accident. That was something that was really hard to deal with,” said Christianson. “Nobody else should have to go through that.”

The Miss America organization, a 501(c)4 non-profit, is the nation’s leading advocate for women’s education and the largest provider of scholarship assistance to young women in the United States. Through sponsorship, Christianson has accumulated $12,000 in scholarships toward her studies at the University of North Dakota. She hopes to earn a Ph.D. in marriage and family therapy when everything is said and done. “The sponsors are what make it possible,” said Christianson.

She has been active in her fundraising efforts, raising $1,200 for the Children’s Miracle Network, which has a mission to increase funds and awareness for local children’s hospitals. “It’s a way I can give back,” said Christianson. “We (Miss America) raise hundreds of thousands for this network.”

In addition to winning the title of Miss North Dakota 2016, Christianson won awards for High Score Evening Gown, High Score Preliminary Swimsuit, Academic Achievement Award, Miss Photogenic and Outstanding Athlete. She has also performed at Norsk Hostfest with Rinat Mouzafarov’s Skandi Ski Fantasy. Christianson’s advice for young ladies considering entering the competition is to “just go for it. Nobody should pass up the opportunity.”

“This isn’t a job that I do alone,” said Christianson. “I’m just gonna go out there and leave it on the floor. If I have North Dakota by my side, I know I’ll do great.” Christianson will compete for the title of Miss America September 6-11 in Atlantic City, N.J.