Submitted Photo Melayna Strand stands next to Minot Mayor Shaun Sipma on Saturday following a ceremony at Fiancee, in which she received her crown to officially become Miss North Dakota Teen Volunteer 2022.

North Dakota’s Miss Teen Volunteer 2022 has been a familiar face at Minot’s animal shelter for some time. Programs that provide activities for people with disabilities have been getting to know her as well.

Melayna Strand’s community service hasn’t gone unnoticed, but on Saturday it was officially recognized when Minot Mayor Shaun Sipma crowned the 17-year-old Minot High School senior as the state’s Miss Teen Volunteer.

Although Strand hadn’t sought the crown, she said she is happy to represent Minot and North Dakota at the national pageant in Jackson, Tennessee, on April 30.

North Dakota does not have a state pageant for Miss Teen Volunteer. However, Strand was noticed on the social media platform TikTok and was contacted, interviewed and asked by the organization to accept the title. The pageant organization provided a crown, and Sipma agreed to bestow it in absence of an active state pageant organization to do so.

“Never in a million years did I think I would be doing a pageant, but here we are,” said Strand, who upholds a high academic standard and has been involved in extracurricular athletic activities as well as volunteering in the community. At Magic City Campus, she is a member of the National Honor Society, Sources of Strength and played volleyball this year. She is employed part-time at Fiancee, a Minot bridal shop. She also is interning at Pinkerton Animal Hospital and has aspirations to become a veterinarian.

She will compete with young women from across the nation in the teen division of the Miss Volunteer America Pageant, whose principle is S.E.R.V.E., standing for scholarship, education, responsibility, volunteerism and empowerment. Teen contestants will compete for scholarships in categories of interview, fitness and wellness, talent and evening gown. Strand, who has studied dance, will perform a lyrical dance in the talent portion. Finalists also will answer an on-stage question.

In support of her platform, “Happy, Healthy, Humane,” Strand plans to conduct a drive to provide free pet vaccinations, spaying and neutering for families who cannot afford the services. She said the project additionally will benefit the Souris Valley Animal Shelter, which often takes on an extra burden when pets lack these types of care. The drive will include items such as toys or bedding, which the shelter always needs, she said.

Strand has been volunteering at SVAS as long as she can remember.

“I would beg my Mom that we need to go,” she said. “We are always so busy with sports but I always made time to go there.”

She also has volunteered with Prairie Grit, Second Story and other programs for people with disabilities.

“I have a big passion for that. I just like to see a smile on their faces, and it also brings a smile to my face,” she said.

Strand will be seeking additional sponsorships as she prepares to travel to Tennessee later this month. Her mother, Tracy Strand, will be accompanying her on the trip. Melayna Strand said her older brother and father, Ned, as well as her grandparents in Minot and Maxbass are excited about her opportunity, too.

The pageant is based in Tennessee and lists as its mission the empowerment of young women through educational scholarships and life-changing, extraordinary opportunities.