Public speaking, interviews, talent, and community engagement - all while wearing heels and a ballgown. West senior Areanna Williams, sophomore Raewyn Polinsky, and freshman Jocelyn Hauchert rocked the stage at the 2026 Miss Oshkosh and Miss Oshkosh’s Teen pageant on Saturday, March 7. The trio brought home over $1,000 in scholarships while shining a light on issues within the Oshkosh community. The evening concluded with the crowning of Trinity Horstman as Miss Oshkosh and Riley Staerkel as Miss Oshkosh’s Teen. West contestants made their mark, with Hauchert winning Teen first runner up, Polinsky taking home overall non finalist evening gown, interview, and talent; and Williams leaving with a $600 scholarship.

Pageantry may be known for its extravagant dresses and polished routines. However, many girls, like Williams, are more passionate about the way the Miss Oshkosh Organization gives back.

“I ran into the Miss Oshkosh and Miss Teen Oshkosh program last year at volunteering events and they showed me that Miss Oshkosh is a big opportunity to help others in the community,” she said.

Along with creating tangible impact for others, Miss Oshkosh gives girls a place to find their true confidence. Many girls find a sisterhood within pageantry and look up to each other for inspiration.

“I see how Izzy (Mugerauer, Miss Oshkosh’s Teen 2025) is very confident and she seems to love pageants, so I decided to start doing it to see how much fun it would be,” Hauchert said.

The 12-year-running event has become a legacy of female empowerment in Oshkosh. Polinsky holds a special tie to the pageant, hoping to inspire others in the same way her older sister did.

“I just loved seeing her on stage. It was so great and ever since then I’ve wanted to wear the dresses,” she said.

The Miss Oshkosh and Miss Oshkosh’s Teen scholarship competitions include many variables that contribute to crowning and titleholder positions. However, preparation for the big day starts long before the girls hit the stage.

“Sundays we have three hour long rehearsals to prepare all our girls to know routines and help us with mock interviews,” Hauchert said.

One of the biggest components of the competition is called a community service initiative or CSI. Many girls’ Miss Oshkosh journeys begin with a desire to give back. Williams has a passion for working with kids in the community and creating spaces for expression and understanding.

“My CSI is child adolescence mental health awareness” she said. “I’m going to be a child adolescent psychologist, working with kids and helping them understand how their brain works, and how to cope and talk about their emotions is what I like to do.”

Her strong passion is seen throughout Oshkosh, making a difference in the lives of others.

“I’ve been trying to look at articles, talk to people about their mental health, help out kids, and volunteer at many kid events,” Williams said.

Each contestant shares a piece of themselves within their CSI, Polinsky chose to tackle a complex and personal issue.

“My CSI was behind closed doors, advocacy against child abuse” she said. “I chose it because I have a lot of personal experiences with child abuse and I’ve personally been a victim of child abuse.”

Though a heavy topic, Polinsky believes advocacy and representation is important for community growth around conversations of abuse.

“I believe that I can share my story to help other people advocate and help people recognize signs of abuse, stress, and find help,” she said.

Another aspect of life represented at the Miss Oshkosh’s Teen pageant encapsulated juggling the stresses of everyday life.

“My CSI is that balance starts with me; it’s about balancing mental health, physical health and nutritional health,” Hauchert said.

An issue faced by many, Hauchert hopes that her unique perspective will help others find their balance in the same way she found hers.

“I chose it because growing up I’ve been kind of sensitive and I need to find the balance to stay calm and collected,” she said.

Another fan favorite portion of the Miss Oshkosh and Miss Oshkosh’s Teen pageants are the talent performances. Each contestant creates a unique display of their passions to dazzle the audience, such as Hauchert’s baton twirling routine.

“I’ve been doing baton twirling for just a little less than a decade now, and it’s my true passion. I love doing it and I feel confident on stage,” she said.

The talent performances give contestants the opportunity to show off what makes them unique; for Williams, she used the opportunity to enhance the message of her CSI.

“Mine is singing, I chose it because the song I’m singing talks about mental health and feeling like you’re not good enough,” she said.

Though a crowd favorite to watch, the talent performances can be a truly anxiety inducing portion of the pageant for many girls like Williams.

“I’ve never sung in front of people; it’s very scary for me,” she said.

Many girls find that their talents connect to their personal beliefs and experiences, creating a truly powerful performance.

“I sang ‘Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen’ because I connect to its pain but also finding hope,” Polinsky said.

At the end of the night, each girl leaves with more than just awards and scholarships, but with memories that will last a lifetime.

“My favorite memories were learning the dance routines. I had so much fun learning them and I got to make so many friends with the pageant,” Hauchert said.

The bonds created backstage are unique. The pre-performance anxiety is met with a safe space of loving friendship, as seen by Williams.

“Right before competition we were all in the dressing room giving each other gifts and hanging out, dancing around and getting ready,” she said. “It's kind of like the perfect depiction of sisterhood.”

Some of the best memories happen in the dressing rooms, a room filled with joy and sisterhood to Polinsky.

“We had a speaker and our jam playlist on Spotify; everyone brought snacks and had a lot of fun,” she said.

In the midst of misconceptions about the Miss Oshkosh scholarship competition and pageantry in general, Williams emphasizes that pageants are about so much more than physical appearance.

“People think it’s a beauty competition, but it’s more of a mental competition,” she said. “Miss Oshkosh not only is a competition that gets you out in the community, it gives you friends, sisterhood, and makes you feel very confident in yourself, and it kind of gives you an idea of what you want to do in life.”

Another benefit of pageantry comes in the form of self discovery.

“I think that girls should join Miss Oshkosh because it gives everyone the opportunity to get their name out into the world and it helped me become more mature and confident,” Hauchert said.

Though not every girl will leave with a crown, the friendships and memories found backstage are worth every hour of rehearsal and preparation.

“I've met so many incredible people throughout it and literally all of them came to support me this year,” Polinsky said. “I was so happy when the curtains closed, I started crying because the pressure is so hard but the sisterhood is so amazing.”

by Delaney Smith

Published March 20, 2026

Oshkosh West Index Volume 122 Issue VI

Miss Oshkosh competition brings sisterhood to centerstage