Candidates prepare for Miss Kansas Teen 2023

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - With the Miss Kansas Teen Pageant coming up this weekend in Wichita, 16 candidates from across the state are busy with their final preparations.

Tiana Hardwell and Riley Screen are among the candidates working to balance full schedules with their pageant preparations. Hardwell, in her second year competing for Miss Kansas Teen, said balancing school and athletics with the pageant is “a good challenge.”

Screen discussed her future goals ahead of the competition that puts the spotlight on well-rounded, successful students.

“I’m very goal oriented and have very big dreams after high school to become a neurosurgeon one day,” she said.

The competitors have been fundraising, giving presentations, volunteering for their community service initiatives and perfecting their talents, all in hopes of earning scholarships to help them with furthering their educations.

Screen said her community service initiative is Team Olmos, a group that focuses on neurological differences, specifically autism.

“Because I want to go into the neuroscience field, I wanted to do something about the brain,” she said.

Hardwell whose talent is hip hop dancing, is using her confidence and charisma to empower other girls to do the same.

“So, I created the Empowerment Project to give other girls self worth and to give them the tools to overcome cyber bullying,” she said of her community service initiative. “So, I’m making it my job to be that person that they can rely on.”

Screen and Hardwell said every Miss Kansas Teen candidate in Wichita this weekend has attributes that can improve their world.

“These girls are so intelligent and so powerful and the girls I’m competing with are all going to be changing the world one day,” Screen said.

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