Submitted Photo Marissa Sanders was crowned Mrs. North Dakota American in April. (Aspen Marie Photography)

Marissa Sanders of Glenburn will spend the next year promoting a cause near to her heart. As the recently crowned Mrs. North Dakota American, she is raising money for and spreading the word about resources for people with disabilities.

Sanders, 25, was among women and youth who earned titles at the 2025 North Dakota State Pageant, held on April 6 in Grand Forks.

Sanders’ first experience with a pageant came while in high school in her hometown of Cokato, Minnesota, in 2017. She said the event was essentially a scholarship program associated with the Cokato Corn Carnival, and she was selected as Miss Cokato. She went on to compete at the Minneapolis Aquatennial pageant.

“It’s super fun, and you’re surrounded by a lot of great, amazing people,” Sanders said. The experience gave her a love for networking and an understanding of how important it is to connect with great people, which is the main reason she sought out a pageant in North Dakota, she said.

Sanders and her husband, Jesse, moved to North Dakota about five years ago, and connecting with people in her new state was important to her.

Her search for pageant opportunities led her to co-directors Michael and Meg Morley with Forevermorely Productions in Grand Forks. The Morleys offer pageant opportunities for junior, miss and Mrs. contestants.

Sanders said the Mrs. American program is largely based on community engagement. She was granted the title of Mrs. Renville County through her community involvement and commitment to upholding the standards of the program, which entitled her to participate in the statewide event.

“You’re also connected with a platform as well. Mine is North Dakota Association for the Disabled,” she said. Making connections is what led her to discover a pleasure in working with people with disabilities.

“That passion of connecting with the right people and knowing the right people to talk to – that’s kind of how you stumble into some of the greatest opportunities,” she said.

Sanders, who attended a couple of years of college in Minnesota before marrying and moving to North Dakota, formerly was employed with a local clinic, working with children with autism. Although she now works at a Minot hospital, she retains an interest in the disability community and recently participated in a walk for autism awareness.

“It is very personal,” she said. “I have a lot of family members who are affected by some sort of disability.”

Because she and her husband both had worked in fields related to disabilities, Sanders said, she saw firsthand the importance of services, especially in rural areas.

“Being able to connect a lot of those rural places with resources is super important for a place like North Dakota,” she said. She is using her title to increase awareness of NDAD’s resources, and any fundraising she conducts as part of her reign over the coming year will be donated to NDAD.

“This obviously just gives you a bigger platform,” she said of having a title behind her efforts. She has been supported by her group of local sponsors and welcomes others who want to help aid the cause through sponsorships.

She has worked closely with Mrs. North Dakota America Dana Henry of Bismarck to coordinate events to promote their platforms. Both will participate in their corresponding national pageants in Las Vegas in August, along with Miss North Dakota for America Strong, Deserae Wanner of Bismarck.

Sanders said the pageants are heavily focused on interviews with judges. There also is a public performance in which contestants answer questions on stage. In Grand Forks, they participated in a dance routine and swimsuit and evening gown segments.

There was a state costume element to the competition as well. Enthralled with the beauty of the state’s flowering flax and canola, Sanders incorporated the two crops into her pageant costume.

Despite her relatively short time in North Dakota, as a Minnesotan, she feels at home.

“Only difference is trees,” she joked. “But I’ve really loved it here, and so being able to represent the new state I live in is a big honor for me.”

Sanders, who has sons ages 3 and 9 months, said she would consider entering other pageants based on her positive experiences, particularly her experience in working with the Morleys. She’s grown personally and in her marriage as a result of role models she’s met, she said.

“Again, it’s all about just meeting as many people as you can. And I’m very excited for Vegas,” she said. “I get to meet and network with all these wonderful people.”