Jessica Scheu has been preparing for July 12 all year.

That’s when she and 50 others will compete for the title of Miss USA in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Scheu, a spring 2015 St. Thomas graduate, was crowned Miss Minnesota last November and has been developing her self-knowledge, her stage presence and her interview skills since then to prepare for the Miss USA competition.

“It’s everything that would prepare you to be a well-rounded person in general, so I don’t think I’m doing anything outrageous that the average girl couldn’t do,” Scheu said. “I’m making smart decisions, healthy decisions that are going to benefit me whether I win Miss USA or not.”

Denise Wallace-Heitkamp is executive producer of Future Productions, which runs several state pageants, including Miss Minnesota. She agrees the competition is more about the journey than the prize.

“Winning isn’t necessarily the success story; it’s the experience,” Wallace-Heitkamp said.

The Miss USA competition is a separate entity from Miss America. Both are pageants, but Miss America is heavily scholarship-based and Miss USA is an extension of the Miss Universe competition.

Scheu and her fellow competitors begin the behind-the-scenes preparation in Baton Rouge, La., June 29, making public appearances and doing charity work. The final round will then be televised July 12, and although Wallace-Heitkamp thinks Scheu’s chances of winning are good, Scheu knows there is more to the pageant.

“The competition itself is always a blast … but if you go there and walk away without making a friend, without having a good time, you’ve almost wasted your time,” Scheu said.

For those who dismiss beauty pageants as superficial, Scheu invites them to come watch a rehearsal or a competition.

“It’s more than a beauty pageant, it’s about finding myself and self-discovery,” she said.

Wallace-Heitkamp agrees.

“The most important piece is the growth that the woman has from the start to the finish,” she said.

For Scheu, that growth includes being a better communicator and being more confident in herself. No matter how well she does in the competition, she said, she has become a better version of herself.

“I can now say that and mean it, versus before when it was a goal,” Scheu said.

Elena Neuzil can be reached at neuz3833@stthomas.edu.