A “truly flabbergasted” Kennedy DeLap takes her first walk as Miss North Dakota 2025 moments after being crowned June 7 in Williston.
Kennedy DeLap has a little more hardware to lug with her camera bag.
The Bismarck native and North Dakota Living photojournalist was crowned Miss North Dakota 2025 on June 7 at the Bakken Auditorium in Williston.
“They put the crown on my head, and I just couldn’t believe it,” DeLap says.
She fully expected to be at work the following Monday, editing photos and dicing through interviews from a recent assignment in Medora. But instead, she was being interviewed by the Williston Herald about her new job as Miss North Dakota.
DeLap says working for North Dakota Living and the state’s electric cooperatives positioned her for the crown.
“I think it got me the job,” DeLap says. “In my interview, I talked about things I learned here. On stage, I talked about things I learned here. With North Dakota Living, it’s the foundation of connecting with people, of building trust in communities and building trust with the people that you talk to, and having them want you to tell their stories and believe in you to tell their stories.”
After being named a top 10 finalist, DeLap’s onstage question required her to speak on a randomly drawn topic. Her topic was “agriculture in North Dakota.”
“Agriculture is one of the two things that really supports North Dakota’s economy,” DeLap said onstage. “My great-grandparents were farmers in North Dakota. And, working for North Dakota Living magazine, I actually got to go spend a couple days combining soybeans, and I got to really know how farmers dedicate their lives and make sacrifices to feed America. And so, I think we should always support our farmers and make sure to thank them.”
In the talent portion of the competition, DeLap, who has a master’s degree in environmental journalism from the University of Montana, leaned into her storytelling skills. She spoke about coming home to North Dakota while a slideshow of her original photography rolled.
“It was all about coming home,” DeLap says. “So, I went away to college in Montana in 2019 and then I also studied abroad for six months, and got to travel Europe and a little bit of Africa. And I kind of thought when I left that I was gone for good. But then I had this life-changing loss, which I know a lot of people have experienced, and I lost my grandmother, and it just kind of changed and reframed how I looked at everything. And so, I talk about that and how that experience eventually led me to move back to North Dakota, and how I fell back in love with this state through my experiences and my job. There's truly no place like home.”
Contestants also pick a community service initiative (CSI) they champion and promote during their reign. DeLap’s CSI is the “Prairie Cares,” which is about discovering passions and inspiring local action to make communities better.
“North Dakota Living has helped me with my CSI, because when you learn about a community, you learn what they actually need. And then you can tailor solutions to what that community needs and make a bigger impact,” DeLap says. “Everyone has different ways they can help in their communities. Everyone can give a different amount of time, a different amount of money, a different amount of skills. And so, the ‘Prairie Cares’ is about helping people find their why and use their passions to make a difference.”
DeLap draws on examples from her own life. She started an initiative called “Portraits for a Purpose,” where she rallies local photographers to take professional senior photos for students who can’t afford it or would otherwise not have a senior photoshoot. She is also passionate about animal rescue and volunteers for the Central Dakota Humane Society.
With the help of her loving parents, Steve DeLap and April Fairfield, Kennedy has also adopted or “fospiced” many pets over the years. “Fospice” means fostering a pet for the rest of its life, usually older pets who have come to the shelter because of an owner’s death or move into long-term care.
She currently has two rescue dogs, Sam and Lucky, two “fospice” dogs, Ariel and Hunter, a rescue bunny, Sprout, and her beloved horse, Ella. Kennedy has ridden horse since she was a little girl, having lived her early years on the Fairfield farm in Eldridge.
“I think the animal bug just got me right away, because I didn’t have neighbor kids or brothers and sisters, so I wrangled cats and toads for fun,” Kennedy says.
Kennedy will spend the next several months preparing to compete for Miss America in September. She will also embark on a statewide tour, speaking in schools, at community events and by request of groups and organizations.
“I will be a Miss America that will go to the rural communities, that isn't just hitting New York or the big cities,” Kennedy says. “I want to go to the small communities and make sure they know they're represented as well. And I think the best way to bridge that gap is to be someone who has experienced it and who can tell rural stories.”
And, she’ll still be on her North Dakota beat, camera at the ready, for North Dakota Living as her schedule allows.
“Putting me out there with the magazine and giving me these experiences in North Dakota with North Dakotans has prepared me to represent this state better than I would have if I hadn't gotten this opportunity with North Dakota Living,” Kennedy says. “As a storyteller, as a journalist, the biggest way I can make an impact is really connecting with people, making them feel heard, making them feel important and making sure they know their stories matter. I want to leave my year with people in this state knowing I cared about them, I represented them the best way I knew how.”
To book Kennedy for an event or speaking engagement, email missnorthdakota2025@gmail.com.
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Cally Peterson is editor of North Dakota Living. She can be reached at cpeterson@ndarec.com.
