Miss Michigan 2023 Maya Schuhknecht has been honored by the Berrien County Board of Commissioners. The Buchanan native was named Miss Michigan in June, having shown off her speed painting skills.
Board Chair Mac Elliott on Thursday read from a county board resolution saluting Schuhknecht
“She shows often you can come from a small town and do big things, and she urges young women to chase their dreams,” Elliott said.
Schuhknecht also competed for Miss America in January. She told commissioners she’s made promoting the arts her cause.
“I had a really hard year of adversity,” Schuhknecht said. “I lost my dad two months before I won Miss Michigan, and I was a student at Michigan State University when there was that mass shooting. So through that, through my struggles, the arts have been something for me to just love and to be myself. So, I advocate for the arts for everyone.”
Schuhknecht got her start competing in Miss Blossomtime. She was named Miss Spirit of Blossomtime in 2019, and through that, she met Miss Michigan 2019, who inspired her to seek the statewide title.
The Berrien County Board of Commissioners says her “life, actions, and contributions reflect most favorably upon herself, her family, the community of Buchanan” and more.
