The lights were hot on Baylee Drezek’s face as she stood on stage with four of the women she befriended through the long process of competing for the title of Miss Iowa USA 2019. Her heart raced with anticipation as an announcer named the fourth runner up, and she didn’t hear her name called.

The announcer named the third runner up, then the second runner up, and as Baylee’s name had still not been called, she recognized that she was one of the top two contestants.

“You’re going to make a really great Miss Iowa USA,” Drezek whispered to Emmy Cuvelier, who stood next to her as they waited to learn which one would earn the title.

“Then they called [Cuvelier] was first runner up and it was me,” Drezek said. “I was just so overjoyed.”

In that moment, it was hard to believe that Drezek had only recently begun competing in pageants and had never entered a Miss Iowa USA pageant before taking the crown.

Drezek, a junior in business, was well into high school when she got a pamphlet in the mail to sign up for Miss Iowa Teen USA 2015. She said she used the money raised through sponsors to purchase a $50 dress from Macy’s, and a bathing suit from Target. Drezek then took third runner up in her first pageant.

In a new dress and the same bathing suit, she took second runner up in the Miss Iowa Teen USA 2016 pageant.

“It’s not about competing against anyone else but yourself,” Drezek said. “Because at the end of the day, even if you didn’t win, you can say that you were impacted in a positive way, because the confidence you gain is really how you win.”

After aging out of the teen division, Drezek said she took two years off to search for colleges and focus on her modeling career. In parallel with her entrance into the world of pageantry, she was inspired to compete for the title of Miss Iowa USA 2019 by a pamphlet in the mail.

“I raised all the money in my hometown through sponsorships,” Drezek said. 

Drezek prepared to compete by changing her diet and exercise habits, practicing her interviewing skills and preparing mentally.

“For me, it was important to feel confident in a swimsuit,” Drezek said. “I feel like if I can walk on stage in a swimsuit and heels, I can do anything.”

Drezek said the positive impact that competing had on her confidence helped her to win the title, and that standing on that stage, she felt nothing but grateful.

“It was a huge accomplishment,” Drezek said. “Because it was my first year competing for Miss Iowa USA and I was competing against all these amazing women.”