Miss Pocatello crowned Miss Idaho, looks forward to Miss America Competition
Published at | Updated at
IDAHO FALLS – After being crowned Miss Idaho June 9, we caught up with Nina Forest after her big win to see how she’s preparing for the Miss America competition this fall.
Twenty-year-old Forest, formally known as Miss Pocatello, competed with 16 other county and city titleholders to be crowned Miss Idaho. She is the latest eastern Idaho title holder since Miss Idaho Falls, Whitney Wood Tibbitts in 2012.
“It’s been quite some time. I feel like in southeast Idaho you don’t see Miss Idaho as much as you do in Boise or western Idaho. I’m excited to not only represent Idaho but also to represent the community I grew up in,” Forest said.
Forest has known the Miss America pageant to include swimsuit, interview, on-stage question, talent and evening gown competitions. Since early June the Miss America organization has made some changes, now being called a “competition” and eliminating its swimsuit portion. Its also revamping the evening gown event to allow contestants to wear evening attire that expresses their personal style which does not have to be a dress. Forest’s focus for winning Miss America may be different from that of contestants in the past.
“A lot of my focus is now on interview, public speaking with other people, engagements, learning as much as I can about Idaho’s viewpoints and how they coincide with my own,” Forest told EastIdahoNews.com.
Every Monday leading up to Miss America her Miss Idaho Board will host Monday mingle night. Forest will interact with people in her community and share her story and learn about others’ stories as well.
“That’s the majority of my preparation going to Miss America,” Forest said.
As far as the Miss Idaho competition, Forest won the Preliminary Talent portion as well as the Four Points award, which represents the four points of the crown standing for style, scholarship, service and success.
Forest says talent used to be her weakest category when she began competing four years ago. She admits she’s only been playing the piano for a short while compared to other classical pianists and that she owes a lot to her piano teachers in Pocatello.
“My song was called ‘Rhapsody Brillante’ by Melody Bober, and I was incredibly honored to win the talent award. I’ve only been playing the piano for six years, which is not long at all, considering how many years most pianists have under their belts,” Forest said.
Forest won $9,000 in cash scholarships to use at any university. She recently finished her junior year at the University of California, Davis, but will be taking the year off as Miss Idaho.
Forest also received $500 in scholarships for her talent win and $250 for the Four Points award. She won over $10,000 worth of prizes, including wardrobe, for her Miss America Competition, a Miss Idaho Vehicle, and an apartment lease in Boise.
“We are one of the largest scholarship providers for women in the state. We actually gave out almost $30,000 in scholarship money to Idaho’s young women,” said Christi Van Ravenhorst, executive director of the Miss Idaho Organization.
Van Ravenhorst said all of the girls at the competition were truly outstanding, and when it got down to the final five contestants, it was unknown which direction judges would go. She said the scores were extremely close, but what set Forest apart from the other competitors was how relatable she was.
“Nina is extremely personable,” Van Ravenhorst said. “She’s just exceptionally talented and insanely intelligent.”
During the competition, she seemed to enjoy herself. She was “regal, well-spoken and elegant,” Van Ravenhorst said.
“We know when she’s out making appearances that people are going to love her,” Van Ravenhorst said.
As Forest looks forward to the Miss America competition she said what differentiates her from other competitors is her background. Her height could also play a factor, Forest said, as she may be one of the tallest Miss America contestants, standing at 6 feet.
“I think my background really sets me a part I’m a first-generation American, and growing up traveling to different parts of the world and then going to school in a different state, I’ve really learned what makes my home state Idaho so special. I’ve also learned how the world works from my education,” Forest said.
View the Miss America competition on ABC on Sunday, Sept. 9.
“I want her to just take everything in. I want her to experience every moment and remember it because it only lasts for one year. … I want her to just go have fun at Miss America,” Van Ravenhorst said. “She’s going to represent us so well.”