ZIONSVILLE — Two young women stood out from a field of 67 to be crowned the new Miss Indiana and Miss Indiana's Teen on Saturday night at Zionsville Community High School.
23-year-old Kalyn Melham of Muncie was named the new Miss Indiana. She'll soon be graduating from Ball State University. Kalyn is a musical theatre student at BSU and chose her platform of Advocating for Change through Theatre as her Service Initiative. She performed as a vocalist for the talent portion of the competition, selecting a song from the upcoming Broadway musical Smash. Melham earned more than $11,000 in scholarships for winning the title.
Bella Bauer was named the new Miss Indiana's Teen. The 18-year-old dancer from Granger recently graduated from Penn High School. She'll be attending Purdue University in the fall. Bella promotes her platform called 'The Purple Project', which promotes epilepsy awareness and education. She performed a lyrical dance routine for the talent competition. Bauer received more than $7,500 in scholarships during the course of the week.
The pair will compete for the titles of Miss America and Miss America's Teen 2025 in Orlando, Florida in January.
This marked the 83rd year of the Miss Indiana Competition. More than $60,000 in scholarships were awarded for excellence in academics, community service, and their performances on stage. Each candidate participates in a private interview, on-stage talent, fitness, and evening wear.
WRTV's Brad Brown served as Master of Ceremonies for the four nights of competition at the Star Bank Performing Arts Center at ZCHS.
The Miss Indiana Teen competition is open to girls ages 13-18, and the Miss Indiana field is comprised of young women from ages 18-28. Local competitions for the 2025 state competition will be getting underway in July.
Across the country, the Miss America Opportunity is annually the largest provider of scholarships for young women.
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