Lexington girl crowned as Miss Ohio’s Outstanding Teen

“I’ve been training for so long, and I’ve been wanting to do this pageant my entire life … so it’s an honor to be the next Miss Ohio Outstanding Teen,” she said.

Heichel, 15, was awarded a $2,000 scholarship along with the title and an additional $250 for scoring the highest in the talent category. She will go on to compete in the Miss America Teen competition in Orlando, Fla. later this year.

Heichel, who has been singing since she could talk, performed “Feeling Good” with her own soulful twist.

“My parents used to tell me all the time how they’d hear me upstairs brushing my teeth, humming a tune,” Heichel said. “It’s my passion. It’s all I want to do.”

She hopes to sing professionally one day and possibly become a pop star.

“I want to become known for my music and what I can do to help children with my music as well,” she said.

So far, she’s well on her way. The teen has more than 200,000 followers across her social media platforms. In 2015, Juliana and Madison became a Vine singing sensation.

Madison competed and won the Miss Ohio’s Outstanding Teen competition in 2016. Juliana remembers watching the competition on television with her father and later seeing what her sister accomplished while wearing the title.

“I learned definitely the goals and the impacts you can make as a queen,” she said.

Her younger sister, Isabella, served as her “little princess” in the competition. At age 11, Heichel says Isabella already has a powerful voice and the potential to be a future winner.

Heichel’s platform for the program is called Living with A.D.D., which stands for accept, diagnose and deal.  

“I want to prove to everyone that success is possible in the face of a learning adversity … I am proof as well,” she said.

At 9 years old, Heichel was diagnosed with ADD, or attention deficit disorder, and initially, she struggled to cope with it.

“At the age of 5, children are being diagnosed, so I want to do everything I can to help those children learn how to cope quicker and faster than I did,” she said.

Heichel wrote a guidebook about her personal experiences that she hopes to place in guidance offices for parents and students. She also creates songs and rhymes to help students with ADD learn in a different way.  

“I want to show everybody that we’re not damaged, we’re different, or as I like to say, ‘We’re perfectly imperfect.’”

Outside of her efforts to improve the lives of children with ADD, Heichel is very active with the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, where she serves as a Bear Ambassador.

“I go to all the different hospitals and give soft, organic, non-toxic bears to children who are receiving treatment,” she said.

Heichel also intends to donate the extra money she raised to compete in the Miss Ohio Program to the Children’s Miracle Network. The leftover amounts to just over $30,000.

The first runner-up was Miss Portsmouth’s Outstanding Teen Madison DeFrank, of New Albany. She received a $750 scholarship. Her talent was a performance of “Rise Up,” and her platform was called Alzheimer’s Awareness Save the Memories.

The second runner up was Miss Ashland’s Outstanding Teen Madison Yuzwa, of Broadview Heights. She received a $600 scholarship. Her talent was a high energy fitness and tumbling routine. Her platform is called F.I.T. to be Confident and aims to empower and instill confidence in youth and teens via fitness, nutrition and self-respect.

The third runner-up was Miss North Coast’s Outstanding Teen Ava Marguerite Moore, of Zanesville. She received a $500 scholarship. Her talent was a musical theatre dance. Her platform is called Rescue a Friend for Life and is dedicated to the promotion of animal recues.

The fourth runner-up was Miss Greater Cleveland Outstanding Teen Olivia Fosson, of Kitts Hill. She received a $400 scholarship. Her talent was as a vocalist, and her platform called Turning the Page aims to make reading fun for young students.

Miss Oxford’s Outstanding Teen Lily McLaughlin, of Zanesville, received a spirit award and a scholarship for the best scoring interview. She received a total of $450. Her talent was playing piano. Her platform, called Project SHINE, strives to inspire everyone to be who they are.

Each contestant who wasn’t a finalist received a $200 scholarship.

Local contestants, besides Heichel in Miss Ohio’s Outstanding Teen competition included Miss Maple City’s Outstanding Teen Ellie Nickoli, and Miss Mohican Valley’s Outstanding Teen Paige Divelbiss.

Nickoli, a Lexington student, portrayed a character from the Disney movie Anastasia for her talent. Her platform, called Early Intervention is the Key, raises awareness for early detection of developmental disabilities.

Divelbiss, of Ontario, performed a science experiment for her talent. Her platform was called Defeat Diabetes.

The Miss Ohio program continues with preliminary rounds in Thursday and Friday. Miss Ohio will be crowned on Saturday night.

The Miss Ohio Scholarship Program is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and is supported through donations and fundraising efforts

Tickets for Miss Ohio 2018 are on sale through the Renaissance Theater box office or online at mansfieldtickets.com.

• Thursday, June 14 at 7:30 p.m. with Preshow at 7:05 p.m. – Miss Ohio 2018 First Preliminary Night. Renaissance Theater.
• Friday, June 15 at 7:30 p.m. with Preshow at 7:05 p.m. – Miss Ohio 2018 Second Preliminary Night. Renaissance Theater.
• Saturday, June 16 at 7:30 p.m. with Preshow at 7:05 p.m. – Miss Ohio Finals Night. 2018 Crowning. Renaissance Theater.
• Sunday, June 17 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Richland Mall – Meet your 2018 Miss Ohio and Miss Ohio Outstanding teen during their first autograph session.

For more information, visit http://missohio.org/miss-ohio-week-2018/events/