Emily Laskowski will be heading back to the Miss Missouri Pageant in 2024.

The Jonesburg native clinched an automatic berth to the big event for the second year in a row after winning the Miss Heart of Southern Missouri Pageant, which was held in October at the Melba Performing Arts Center in Houston, a small town in Texas County located 90 miles east of Springfield. She also won the top interview award.

“For both the top interview and the title, I was really shocked,” Laskowski said. “I wasn’t expecting either to happen. I went down just to have more fun than anything and enjoyed spending some time with some of the girls I knew already.”

Laskowski won her third pageant and her second of the year. She also came out on top at the Miss Northwest Counties pageant in Maryville in January. Laskowski was voted Old Settlers Queen six years ago.

The 2024 Miss Missouri Pageant will be held at Missouri Military Academy in Mexico next summer. Laskowski was one of 21 participants who competed in this year’s state pageant on July 17 and was one of the first 10 contestants eliminated in the finals.

At the Miss Heart of Southern Missouri pageant, Laskowski competed against three other girls. There were three titles that were given away at the event. During her interview, Laskowski talked about her community service initiative, “Grow From The Ground Up,” which educates children in poverty about available resources such as food pantries, scholarships for college and clothing and hygiene items.

Laskowski said now that she won the pageant, she will be busy doing community service for the next couple of months.

“This month will be a little bit calmer,” Laskowski said. “Then in December, I’m going to come down to Jonesburg and do the lighted Christmas Parade. We have an event in Rolla to raise money for children and children’s awareness. They also have a little Hometown Christmas and parade in Houston. The final thing I planned so far for this year is on the 23rd of December, Miss Missouri Teen is doing a Breakfast for Santa event in Houston, so I’m going down there and volunteering with that as well.”

Laskowski, a 2017 Montgomery County graduate, is currently working on a Master’s degree in counseling at Truman State University.