LANE COUNTY – At 22 years old, Makenna York is a graduate student, musician, stage manager, teaching fellow, runs a charity organization, and is competing in the Miss America competition to be an Oregon delegate.
York was born in Oregon and raised in Nevada, but found her home in Lane County. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Music from the University of Nevada, where she was a cellist, pianist, and vocal composer, writing and performing a song cycle based on Wendy Cope’s poem The Orange.
She started her pageant journey inadvertently in high school when she and a friend signed up together after an ambassador spoke at the school. When the day came to submit the application, York turned hers in, but her friend backed out.
“It was a beautiful experience. I won Miss Congeniality that year, and it probably felt like one of the largest and most meaningful accolades I had ever received. It was the happiest accident of my life,” York said.
“One of my favorite things to say is that all the most beautiful, amazing things in my life happened by accident.”
Back in Oregon, York is pursuing her Master’s of Musicology degree at the University of Oregon, where she is a graduate teaching employee and stage manager for the University of Oregon Opera.
“When I got here, I felt like I was free floating. I just really needed to put down roots,” she said. As a way to embed herself back in the Eugene community, she competed for Miss Lane County at The Shedd Institute on March 21.
“On stage at Miss Lane County, I was thinking to myself, I don’t think I can do it. I messed up my talent. It’s never happened before. My whole life, I’ve been playing cello. I forgot. I went on stage, and I just forgot it. I just made it up,” York said.
That happy accident led to her securing the title. Now, York is competing to be Miss Oregon. On top of her heavy school load, her preparation includes working out, practicing poses and stage walks, writing essays, doing mock interviews, and volunteering.
York runs a charity called One Orchestra: Music Accessibility for All through the Miss America organization. The charity gets instruments, stands, and sheet music to kids who might not otherwise be able to afford them, and has given access to instruments to kids across four states and even to Australia.
“That’s been a way that I’ve been not only involved in my community, but been able to really exercise my love for music in the multiple states that I’ve lived in,” York said.
During her year as Miss Lane County, York wants to expand her outreach efforts to rural communities. She is also interested in starting a program in Bend.
“I really want to do some intense recruitment. We need so many more women from Cottage Grove and Pleasant Hill, and I’m really looking forward to reaching out in those types of communities,” she said.
Women competing for Miss Oregon check in on June 21, and the winner is crowned a week later on June 27. For more information about Miss America, Miss Lane County, or Miss Oregon, go to MissAmerica.org.
