Standing center stage at STAR Bank Performing Arts Center in Zionsville, Indiana, Kalyn Melham nervously gripped the hands of Hadley Abrams and pressed their foreheads together as they found themselves to be the final two competitors in the 2024 Miss Indiana pageant. 

When Melham heard her name called over the speakers, she recalled that she could only make out faint silhouettes of the audience as they erupted into applause. 

Being crowned in June, and graduating in July, Melham walked across the stage to receive her Master’s degree in information and communication sciences from Ball State University as a state titleholder.

The Muncie local is now on her way to the Miss America competition in January.

Melham got into pageants when her mom, who competed in pageants herself, encouraged her to compete for the Miss Ball State title in her first year of undergrad. 

“I looked around at some other competitions that were happening leading up to that competition and decided to just see what it was like because it's a whole entire community and culture that I didn't know,” Melham said. 

When competing at a state level, every competitor represents a local title. For Melham, this was Miss Southern Heartland, the same as Ball State musical theater alum Elizabeth “Eliza” Hallal, who won Miss Indiana in 2022.

Despite graduating the same year and having similar interests, Hallal and Melham didn’t cross paths on campus until their final year of undergrad. They met when Hallal was the state titleholder and Melham was competing for Miss Ball State. 

Hallal recognized a similar apprehensive feeling in Melham as she had when she entered the pageant world. She said she didn’t know what to expect from the other women competing, but Melham became someone who eased that experience for others. 

“She’s the perfect example of somebody who is so welcoming and kind, and she’s truly everybody’s friend,” Hallal said. “That was my first impression of her and, I think, why her and I were able to get so close.”

Melham said part of her nerves stemmed from the misconceptions portrayed in television surrounding pageants. But in the last five years, she hasn’t experienced anything like that. 

“We are represented by all different walks of life, which means different body types, different styles, different backgrounds. So being able to live that in every pageant I competed in, which is about 15 at this point, I can confidently say that that’s been disproven,” Melham said. 

Cheering her on, Hallal was in the audience when Melham was crowned Miss Indiana. Being in her shoes just two years before, she gave Melham some advice. 

“It’s still more than that one week of competition; you really have 365 days that you have the opportunity to make an impact,” Hallal said. “My advice to her was, ‘Take every opportunity that you can, make sure that within that you’re allowing time for yourself, and making sure that what you’re doing aligns with who you are and your core values as a person.’”

Melham’s dedication to the pageant circuit led her to win the title of Miss Ball State in 2023. This year’s Miss Ball State is Kayla Julian, a fourth-year marketing student. When Julian won, Melham was there to pass on the crown. 

In a full-circle moment, just five months after being crowned by her, Julian witnessed Melham’s win from the stage. Miss Ball State is a preliminary pageant for Miss Indiana, so Julian competed alongside her. She said she was inspired by Melham’s win as the current Miss Ball State titleholder. 

“Having the experience of being crowned by someone who now holds a state title, as well as someone who is competing for the title of Miss America, is amazing,” Julian said. 

Being a theater lover throughout her life, Melham fell in love with the performance aspect of pageants. Each competitor has the opportunity to display a talent for the judges, and Melham said she showcases her vocal abilities when she competes. 

She won Miss Indiana singing “They Just Keep Moving the Line” from the television show SMASH. She has already selected her song for the Miss America competition in January, but she’s keeping it a surprise. 

As Miss Indiana, Melham’s primary form of service is through Advocating for Change through Theatre. Melham started this service initiative in 2019 at Muncie Civic Theatre. She asked audience members to bring canned goods to the show. 

“Anytime I’m on stage performing, I want to either ask audience members to bring canned goods or ask the theater board if a cut of the show, the funds, could go to Riley, or anything of that sort,” Melham said. 

As a former heart patient at Riley’s Children’s Hospital, Melham encourages donations to the organization and was personally impacted when she learned Miss America Opportunity was partnered with them.

All three women encourage those interested in the pageant circuit to get involved. Hallal wants to make sure people interested know that they can compete with almost any talent or initiative.

“The current Miss America is Madison Marsh,” Hallal said. “She’s in the Air Force, she [was] in the Air Force Academy. Her talent was, they call it a “herstory,” like history … It was a story about her learning how to fly a plane. Your talent doesn’t have to be something that you can present on stage.”

Julian encourages those wanting to get involved in the Miss Ball State pageant to reach out to her. Like Melham, she had no prior experience when she competed for her current title. 

“You do not have to have experience to compete in a pageant. Miss Ball State was my first pageant,” Hallal said. “Pageantry can seem really daunting, but all the women involved are incredibly kind and welcoming.” 

Also embracing the community she discovered during her time at Ball State, Melham encourages young women to remember that you don’t have to be “perfect” to win a state title.

“I’m someone who’s not perfect at all, and I’m Miss Indiana now, so it’s been so apparent to me that pageants are an opportunity, and that means an opportunity to make friends too, and just be yourself,” Melham said. “That is something that I’m really excited to share more on as Miss Indiana.” 

Contact Ella Howell via email at ella.howell@bsu.edu. 

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