Submitted Photo Olivia Redding is crowned Miss ND USA 2025 by Codi Miller at the Miss ND USA pageant in Des Moines, Iowa, on Aug. 8.

BURLINGTON – From the small town of Burlington to the bright lights of the Miss North Dakota USA stage, Olivia Redding has always carried her hometown with her.

Redding, 21, was crowned Miss North Dakota USA earlier this year and will go on to represent the state at the national Miss USA competition. For the Burlington native, the moment was both surreal and deeply personal.

“I was not expecting to win. I was really just there for the experience,” Redding said. “But when they announced me as the winner, hugging my sister afterward was my favorite part of the entire weekend. That moment meant more than anything.”

Growing up in Burlington, Redding found joy in the close-knit spirit of her community.

“I graduated in a class of 47, so I knew everybody and both of their parents,” she said. “You always had support no matter what you were doing.” She recalls dinners with her family at Hacienda and spending time at Burlington’s baseball complex.

“It has a field, a concession stand, a playground and even a sand volleyball court,” Redding said. “It really just represents the community, because there’s something for everyone.”

Pageantry runs in the Redding family. Olivia’s sister Samantha was crowned Miss North Dakota USA in 2019, giving Olivia a close-up view of what the competition required. Redding herself competed in Miss Teen North Dakota USA in 2023, finishing as runner-up. Afterward, she wasn’t sure if she would continue.

“I didn’t know if I was cut out for pageantry,” she said. “But when I didn’t compete last year, I really regretted it.” This year, she committed again — buying her gown, shoes and swimsuit — only to find out the organization managing Midwestern pageants had shut down.

“For months, I thought there wasn’t going to be a pageant,” Redding said. “Then, 48 days before, I got an email from the new management saying they were going to make it happen with 30 days of prep. So I filled out my paperwork, did my interview and showed up. The whole weekend, I felt a sense of calling, like this was where I was meant to be.”

Redding said the most nerve-racking part of the competition was the interview.

“You’re standing in front of five judges, and they can ask anything,” she said. “But I reminded myself that I’m the most educated person in the room, because the topic is me. Once I looked at it as just a conversation, it helped my nerves.”

Pageantry has taught her lessons she carries into daily life.

“It’s a mindset game,” she said. “Are you being yourself? Do you believe you’re where you’re supposed to be? If not, it’s hard to succeed.”

The biggest takeaway, she said, has been learning to be present.

“In high school, I was so worried about the future I never appreciated the present,” Redding said. “Since winning, I’ve learned to focus on where I’m at, and that’s made a huge difference.”

Redding’s platform centers on disability advocacy, inspired by her sister Grace, who has Down syndrome. She has been active with the Minot Dream Catchers, Special Olympics and North Dakota Miss Amazing, which her sister Samantha helped bring to the state.

“When you see girls who have been overlooked for so long come out of their shell, it’s absolutely amazing,” she said. “It has changed my life.”

She hopes to help expand Miss Amazing to all 50 states.

“It’s in 32 states right now, but I want it in all 50,” Redding said. “Every girl with a disability deserves that opportunity.”

Redding is finishing her degree in medical laboratory science and hopes to work in forensic analysis. She also envisions marriage and family in her future.

“I want my parents to be able to attend my wedding and meet my kids,” she said. “Family means everything to me.”

But for now, she’s focused on college and on preparing for Miss USA — and on making sure the nation sees the North Dakota values she carries with her.

“Everybody here is just the sweetest person you’ll ever meet,” she said. “We hold the door for you. We wait in traffic. We remember your name. That sense of community is something I want the rest of the country to see.”

And above all, Redding said, she wants to stay true to herself.

“I don’t want to change who I am to fit a pageant mold,” she said. “I want to show that Midwesterners are elegant, beautiful and a force to be reckoned with.”