Serving as emcee at Northwestern Oklahoma State University’s Miss Cinderella Pageant is Miss Oklahoma 2016 Sarah Klein. Fresh off her Top 12 finish in the Miss America Pageant, Klein will lead the pageant on Friday, Sept. 30, at 8 p.m. in Herod Hall Auditorium during the annual Homecoming week events.
Klein is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma with a degree in Elementary Education. During her undergraduate career, she was involved in many campus organizations and activities including: Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority, Dance Marathon, Big Event, Campus Activities Council, University Sing, Sooner Scandals, Sooner Scouts, Camp Crimson Counselor, and Pre-Education Majors Club. She was awarded Big Woman On Campus, The Sylvia Corwin Excellence Award, and the OU Honor’s Scholarship. She was selected to be in the prestigious President’s Leadership Class and earned her way onto the President’s and Dean’s Honor Rolls, Kappa Delta Pi Honor Fraternity, Sigma Alpha Lambda, and Alpha Lambda Delta for her scholastic achievement.
After graduating from college in December of 2014, she spent the next semester as a part-time substitute teacher at Jenks Public Schools. Klein then decided to pursue a license in cosmetology in Los Angeles, California, at Paul Mitchell the School. While living in California for nine months, she became an active volunteer with “Makeovers that Matter Organization” that benefits female veterans.
Klein has been on 10 mission trips with different organizations to several countries. With her time in Mexico, Honduras, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Nicaragua and Peru, she has provided food, clothing, shelter and hope to countless villages and communities. The trips included construction work, crusades, school teaching, food distribution and health seminars. Klein plans to continue traveling all over the world to bring help to those who are in need.
Supporting our Troops from Deployment to Employment is Klein’s desire and mission as Miss Oklahoma. She has spent 11 years supporting our troops through various organizations including The Hugs Project, The Tulsa Workforce, Makeovers that Matter and the USO. She has raised more than $155,000 and collected 30,000 items to send in care packages overseas to those who are currently deployed. She has expanded her efforts into caring for our veterans as they return home and transition back into the workforce.
At the age of 4, Klein began taking piano lessons and quickly realized that music is her passion. From age 6 to 18, she competed in countless classical piano competitions resulting in winning the state classical competition three years in a row. She was Oklahoma’s Top Talent in Piano Guild for six years and first attended the University of Oklahoma on a Piano Performance Scholarship.
She began competing in the Miss Oklahoma’s Outstanding Teen Pageant in 2006. After three years, she finished first runner-up with awards in Talent, Community Service and Interview. She then continued competing in the Miss Oklahoma Pageant. Over the course of six years, she has been awarded with the Children’s Miracle Maker Award, Kiwanis Community Service Awards, the Esther Scholarship, the Miss America Community Service Award, Top Ten, fourth runner-up, third runner-up, second runner-up, first runner-up, five talent awards, three swimsuit awards, the interview award, and finally, Miss Oklahoma. Her pageant journey taught her the importance of perseverance, dedication, hard work and service.
Klein plans to travel the state as Miss Oklahoma and spread the awareness of her platform, supporting Troops from Deployment to Employment and the importance of taking care of all military men and women who have done so much for others. As an educator herself, she is excited to empower students throughout the schools of Oklahoma.
Klein is the daughter of Rick and Teresa Klein of Tulsa. She has one brother, Paul Klein, 28.
The 2016 Miss Cinderella Pageant contestants and schools they represent are: Kimberly Stuck, Alva; Baylie Hyde, Burlington; Haven Davis, Cherokee; Katlyn Morgan, Chisholm; McKenzie Logan, Cimarron; Samantha Greer, Freedom; Haleigh Bockelman, Laverne; Jozlyn Kizer, Mooreland; Ryli Powell, Ringwood; Haley Gregory, Sharon-Mutual; Lexi Shafer, Shattuck; Emily Rugg, South Barber (Kan.); Alanna Nacion, Timberlake; Silvia Vargas, Waynoka; and Grace Meinders, Woodward.
Miss Cinderella Talent night will be held on Thursday, Sept. 29 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for the Miss Cinderella talent and pageant competitions will be available at the door for $10 each night.
Homecoming buttons will be available for purchase on Thursday at the door for $10, which will grant entry into both Miss Cinderella events. Button purchasers need to be aware that seating at events is a first-come, first-served basis.
Those purchasing buttons also will be able to gain admission to the Ranger football game against East Central University on Saturday, Oct. 1, at 4 p.m. Tickets to the game will be $18 at the gate.
Homecoming buttons also provide the people wearing them numerous discounts at Alva businesses during the week of homecoming. For a list of those discounts please visit www.nwosu.edu/button-discounts. Each button also is numbered for a chance to win in a drawing for $500 in Alva Chamber bucks. That number will be drawn during the homecoming football game, and the winner must be at the game wearing the button to win.
More information on Northwestern’s annual homecoming celebration may be found online at www.nwosu.edu/homecoming.