Morgan Eberhardt Named Green Bay’s Miss Outstanding Teen

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Mason Tumpach, Staff Writer, Advanced Journalism

“When they announced my name as the winner, I was overcome with gratitude for the number of people that helped me with my journey and for the judges’ recognition of all of my hard work,” said NDA senior Morgan Eberhardt, who won the Green Bay Miss Outstanding Teen pageant last weekend at Denmark High School.

The Miss Outstanding Teen program celebrates outstanding young teens in the Green Bay community. Contestants must be service-minded, talented, smart and carry a presence wherever they go.

Eberhardt competed against two other girls, and a panel of judges decided the winner. The contestants had to complete a private interview with the judges, perform a workout routine on stage, showcase a talent, exemplify presence in an evening wear wardrobe and answer a random on-stage question from the judges.

Eberhardt was inspired to get involved with the Miss Green Bay Organization two years ago because of Anna Gruesen. Gruesen was a senior last year who won Miss Outstanding Teen.

“If it weren’t for her kind words of encouragement and belief that I could do well in the competition, I would not be where I am today,” commented Eberhardt.

In order to be prepared for the competition, Eberhardt had to write a resume, practice mock interviews, rehearse a dance routine, stay updated on current events and create a service initiative.

She is thankful for her mentor Michelle Keehan, as she helped her throughout the entire process. Keehan is the Director of the Miss Green Bay Area and the Miss Green Bay Area’s Outstanding Teen.

As previously mentioned, Eberhardt had to perform a talent for the audience, and it was judged on how well the contestant performed it. Contestants are expected to perform a talent that is complex but is also a talent that the contestant is passionate and comfortable with.

“My talent was a lyrical dance routine to the song ‘Open Arms’ by Mariah Carey.”

She first learned the routine four years ago, and she chose it because it was a challenging piece that highlighted her wide range of skills.

“Overall, I was very happy about my performance for the judges, and it was by far my favorite part of the competition,” said Eberhardt.

In addition to performing a talent, contestants had to come up with a service initiative that will help impact the community for the better. A contestant must actively participate in their service initiative by volunteering and being present at events.

“My service initiative was Combating Hunger and Homelessness. I chose this service initiative because I was already doing volunteer work with Paul’s Pantry, Feeding America, and other charities in the area.”

Eberhardt also wanted to bring awareness to the Green Bay community of all the different ways one can get involved with volunteering.

Throughout the event, Eberhardt had to switch wardrobes multiple times. Contestants would have only a few minutes to change their look for the next round of the competition. Thankfully, Eberhardt had the help from previous titleholders to pick a wide range of outfits that showed off her personality. It was also important to pick outfits that felt comfortable.

“I initially thought that changing outfits so quickly would be stressful, but all the years of having to do quick changes for dance competitions made it much easier.”

Eberhardt’s favorite part of the show was performing her talent and getting to know the other contestants.

“I met so many kind people throughout the course of the competition, and the amount of support I felt during the entire process was amazing.”

While Eberhardt thoroughly enjoyed the show, there was one aspect that proved to be difficult.

“The hardest part of participating was definitely the interview. You never know what kind of questions the panelists will throw at you, so I had to be ready for anything.”

After an intense roughly two-hour show, the judges cast their votes and decided the winner.  

An interesting aspect of the Miss Green Bay pageant is it is never easy to predict the winner. There were five judges, and each judge can have a vastly different opinion than the next. The judging can be subjective.

“I had no idea how the competition was going to end up because all the other candidates were strong contenders, so winning definitely came as a surprise.”

Now that Eberhardt is a local titleholder, the next step for her is to compete for Miss Wisconsin’s Outstanding Teen. She competed at Miss Wisconsin’s Outstanding Teen last year and took second place. She is “excited to get to go back and re-compete.”

Winning this event is not easy, and the NDA community should be proud of Eberhardt’s accomplishment. She is “thankful to have such an amazing support system,” as it gave her the confidence needed to win. 

She described her mom, dad, and sister as being her biggest supporters throughout the competition.

“They mean the world to me,” said Eberhardt.