Madame Butterfly

Think back to where you were in 2012.. what you did, the places you traveled, the person who were. My husband and I took a long awaited trip to Hawaii… as parents of ONE, not two. I can’t imagine life without my two little boys.. and can hardly remember a time before I was a momma of two, even though it was just a few years ago.

Now, imagine how much your life changed between when you were, say, 17 years old.. and 20 years old. The music you sang along with in the car.. the stages in life those songs represented. For this young woman, those ages and times could arguably be represented by two records, two Miss Nebraska pageants, and two very different points in her life.

MISS SANDHILLS 2015 KATE LYNNE DUNCAN

(Photo courtesy Jenn Cady Photography)

“The last time I competed at Miss Nebraska was in 2012 as Miss Scottsbluff. I was only eligible for the Miss division because I graduated from Gering High School less than one month before Miss Nebraska, I was only 17 at the time,” Kate told me recently. “I am absolutely elated to have the opportunity to compete on the Miss Nebraska stage again! Three years later, I’ve experienced a lot of personal growth.”

2012 to 2015, sister queens Jessica Littlejohn and Kate Lynne Duncan

That maturation is what inspires Kate’s platform of service: ‘True Beauty: It Shines From The Inside.’ She’s promoting the DOVE Beauty Project, in addition to her own message to women to see their own beauty as others do.

“[Reveal] your attitude, outlook, confidence, intelligence and passion,” said Kate. “It is all too easy to be absorbed in the body shaming negativity seen in the media. Young women often feel inadequate if they fail to fit the picture-perfect, highly photo-shopped and airbrushed mold. I strive to inspire young women to inspire and create a world where beauty is a source of self-confidence, not anxiety.”

As Miss Sandhills, Kate created a self-esteem workshop, including varied activities for elementary, middle and high school students. Schools are familiar environments for Kate; she’s studying K-12 Music Education at the University of Nebraska at Kearney focusing on vocal music and a 7-12 English endorsement. She’s also a Resident Assistant on campus, is active with the Loper Activities Program Counsel, the collegiate chapter of the National Association for Music Educators and the Alpha Omicron Pi sorority.

“I would have not been able to afford my first year at UNK wthout the scholarships I received from competing in the 2012 Miss Nebraska pageant,” said Kate. “With the funds I have received from competing, I will pay off my only student loan this fall and graduate in May 2017 debt free.”

Kate has also spent the last three years perfecting her passion, music.

“With three years of private vocal study under my belt, my voice has grown tremendously since the last time I competed on the Miss Nebraska stage,” said Kate. “This June I will be performing Carrie Underwood’s ‘Something In The Water’. She has a powerhouse voice and I’m definitely up for the challenge. The first time I heard that song it gave me goosebumps and I knew I had to sing it.”

And arguably, a fitting choice. The song is all about evolution within faith, growth in spirit and as a person. Kate Lynne Duncan, 2015. Flashback to 2012 when she sang Blessings by Laura Story. From a promising high school graduate testing the waters of independence, to a driven woman achieving her academic goals as a leader among her peers. Two songs, two stages, transformation. Kate Lynne Duncan is a butterfly, ready to return to North Platte and poised to reveal HER inner beauty.