Miss Acadiana USA Anna Steckler

By: HEATHER BOGARD
Associate Editor

Miss Acadiana USA 2023 Anna Katherine Steckler admits, “My interest for pageantry started in March 2022 thanks to my twin sister, Victoria Grace. She encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and compete for the title of Louisiana Corn Festival Queen (in Bunkie). With no experience, I decided to enter my first pageant.” She continues, “By the grace of God, the judges saw me fit to represent the town of Bunkie and its historically significant festival.”
Steckler shares, “I enjoyed my experience as queen and moved on to compete in my first USA system pageant in June 2022.”
“This pageant system,” Steckler explains, “is a completely different ball game. I did not place my first time in the USA system and at the time I did not understand why. It took a whole year of working on myself, competing again, and winning this pageant a year later that I realized what pageantry entailed.”
As Miss Acadiana USA, Steckler has been given the platform to “deepen my involvement with my community. I have been able to use this title to expand my outreach with the elderly and inspire children to dream bigger.” She recalls, “The memorable moments of my reign come from the interactions with my community as title holder. I host events and I am able to connect with different generations in my community. These events consist of bingo or making healthy snacks and are catered to children or the elderly. This allows for the interactions necessary to promote mental wellbeing. Children are grateful to hangout with their friends and the elderly are thankful for new faces. The overflow of gratitude and personal engagement with everyone is so rewarding to me. Some of these individuals touch my heart so deeply with their stories or the purity of their souls. I think about them all the time and wonder how they are doing. I will never forget them. It reminds me why I work hard and why I wanted this title more than anything. I look forward to continuing my outreach and meeting new individuals.”
Steckler also shares, “In this particular reign as Miss Acadiana USA, I have learned more about my passion to serve the underprivileged. I am learning how to create awareness of the lack of healthcare and nutritional equity in many rural communities in Louisiana. Not only am I promoting awareness of the issues at hand, but I am able to educate individuals on available resources. Teaching people how to work around their physical or financial limitations and to overcome adversity is empowering for them. Education is the root to change, and individuals can then make well informed decisions to have some control in obtaining their own necessities of nutrition/ healthcare.”
Steckler, the 21-year-old daughter of Gary and Carol Steckler of St. Landry, is a 2020 graduate of University Academy in Alexandria and graduated from LSU in May 2023 with a degree in pre-med nutrition. She is currently attending Loyola University College of Law in New Orleans. Upon completing her degree, Steckler says, “I will lobby for food and health care protection/equity laws specifically in rural Louisiana. I do not think free access to food/health care is the answer, but I understand the issues in these systems and I want to ensure access to resources and protect these necessities.”
To young girls interested in the pageant world, whether it be in the fair and festival circuit or the Miss USA system, Steckler shares this advice, “Have fun and be yourself. It’s so easy to get caught up in the competition or to want the crown so badly, you lose sight of what’s important. Staying true to you is what leads to self-confidence and is inspiring to others. Keeping this authenticity is what will push you to greatness if you decide to compete in another system as well.” She adds, “I think the fair and festival pageant system and the USA pageant system are both great experience for young girls/women to have a chance to find confidence and put themselves in the eyes of the public. Both systems are competitive while building character and maintaining integrity. They are both empowering, but answering the question of what system to compete in comes down to preference and goals. I chose the Miss USA system because I felt a connection to the type of women competing and the example current/past title holders set for me.”
Steckler thanks her twin sister, Victoria Grace Steckler, “For pushing me to take a leap of faith and start this journey. I would also like to thank my mother for being with me every step of the way. Both of you have believed in me since day one and have been my biggest supporters.” She also has special praise for her father saying, “My dad has been my quietest supporter, sitting on the sidelines letting me make my own way in this world and in this journey. Even though he is passive in deciding what dress I’ll wear on stage, he’s been most active in showing his love and pride for me. I sometimes feel undeserving or overwhelmed to be as deeply loved and uplifted by you all. I could never have done this without each of you and I will continue to work hard to make you proud. I’ll love you forever.”
When preparing for a title in the Miss USA system, Steckler states, “Every girl prepares differently. Being a title holder takes a lot of work and it shows during performance.” She adds, “For me, it took learning and appreciating the importance of routine and discipline. I spent the last year in strict dieting and working out. I also spent countless hours in my pageant heels perfecting my stage walk. I had to learn proper interview skills, ie: eye contact, poise, and vocabulary. These were just some of the things I consistently worked to improve. I have learned so much about myself and the limits I can push myself to with the support of family and lots of prayer. Everyday I pray for the characteristics of compassion, elegance, humbleness, and gratitude. I strive to walk in grace and in love. These are some of the main virtues that make a good leader and a good representative for this organization as queen. I am an example for others, and it is a responsibility God helps lead me in.”
The next step in Steckler’s journey includes competing in the state pageant. She says, “In January 2024, I will compete for the title of Miss Louisiana USA at the Jefferson Performing Arts Center. Until then, I am working with various sponsors across the country to improve my onstage and interview performance. The work put into preparing for pageants is rewarding with or without a crown, but I am excited to work my hardest and perform my best. If it’s in God’s will, winning Miss Louisiana USA 2024 will send me to Miss USA 2024.”