Public school teacher pursuing a PhD from UK wins Miss Kentucky scholarship pageant

A public school teacher won the Miss Kentucky scholarship pageant Saturday night.

Hannah Edelen, a Springfield native, said she was a sixth-grade teacher in northern Kentucky this school year.

Edelen will represent Kentucky at the Miss America pageant in Connecticut in December, where her social impact initiative or platform will be called “Read Ready Kentucky.”

That’s inspired by her personal story of a challenging childhood that was changed by “an amazing teacher” in high school, she said.

Sarah Raikes, the teacher, was “the catalyst that changed the way I looked at myself and my future,” said Edelen, 24.

Edelen said she wants every child to have access to a high quality education, equitable resources, and strong mentor programs.

She is pursuing a Ph.D in education and evaluation at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. Edelen graduated from Northern Kentucky University in 2020, the first in her family to graduate with a Bachelor’s degree.

As Miss Kentucky, she will take the year off from teaching and serve as the spokesperson for Kentucky Proud, the state’s agricultural marketing program.

This story was originally published June 19, 2022 at 4:20 PM.