Aly Heinrich has several titles: manager of the CougarCard Center at Washington State University in Pullman. Board member of the League of Women Voters of Washington. Beauty pageant winner.
Heinrich was crowned Mrs. Washington American in March, and this month will vie for the national title in Las Vegas. The Mrs. American competition is part of the Mrs. America pageant system, which recognizes married women for their poise, public service, and personal achievements. During the 50% of the contest that focuses on interviews, she’ll talk about why voting is important to her.
“I don’t care who you vote for, I just want to make sure you know how to vote when the time comes,” she said. “We make sure people are registered, know when to vote and when to look out for their ballots in the mail.”
It’s called her pageant platform. Contestants are encouraged to choose a cause they’re passionate about.
“I’d been working with the League of Women Voters since I moved to Pullman in 2020 so it was a no-brainer for me,” Heinrich said. Her husband is a doctoral student at WSU.
Entering the pageant also was a no-brainer. Heinrich has been competing since she was 16 as a way to earn college scholarships. Just for participating, she collected over $5,000 that helped pay her tuition.
But she never took home the crown during that time. She decided to try again. “I thought, OK, it’s time I heard my name called once.”
And it was, at the Mrs. Washington America pageant in Olympia. The winner of that pageant goes on to compete for the Mrs. America crown, while the first-runner-up, in this case Heinrich, competes for Mrs. American. National winners in both pageants compete for Mrs. World.
Though contestants are judged on their appearance and poise in a swimsuit and an evening gown, Heinrich said she doesn’t focus on those as much as on the interview, which makes up half of the score.
As for her longtime interest in pageants, she said it’s always been one of the best ways for her to make friends.
“You find a huge group of like-minded people, women who signed up for a pageant because they knew they were going to grow professionally or grow their platform. All of the women are passionate about improving their community.”
