I am Miranda O’Bryan, your Miss South Dakota 2023! As a South Dakota girl through and through, I am blessed to serve our state this year - connecting with people, competing on the Miss America stage, sharing my community service initiative, and teaching people about the Miss America Opportunity.

During my time at South Dakota State University, a good friend of mine competed for and won the title of Miss South Dakota, giving me my first real taste of what Miss America was. I didn’t grow up watching the competition on TV, but the moment I set foot on the local stage, a fire was lit inside me. For six years, I have given my everything to be the women serving her state today.

I grew up in Martin, SD, before graduating from South Dakota State University in 2020 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism and history. In June, I joined KOTA Territory News and KEVN Black Hills Fox as a multimedia journalist. Through hard work and dedication, as well as patience and flexibility - I worked my way up to a prime time evening anchor for The Six and Black Hills FOX News at 9.

My passion for journalism stems from my love for reading which also pushed me to create my community service initiative, Page Turners: Fall in Love with Reading. Since it’s creation three years ago, I have donated more than 10,000 books across South Dakota, built little lending libraries for rural and underserved communities, as well as started a podcast to expand access, education, and representation. Reading is the foundation for your education, career, and life - and as Miss South Dakota I will continue to expand Page Turners to every corner of our state and beyond!