Meet the 2019 Miss Upper Peninsula USA and Miss Upper Peninsula Teen USA winners

The 2019 Miss Upper Peninsula USA and Miss Upper Peninsula Teen USA were crowned Saturday night in Marquette.

Chloe Peterson, a 16-year-old junior at Marquette High School, was crowned 2019 Miss U.P. Teen USA. She is an Olympic-style weightlifter and is also on the school dance team. She says watching her older sister compete in Miss U.P. USA pageants inspired her to give it a shot. Peterson says in this upcoming year, she's hoping to work with other young girls and women who have dealt with having an alcoholic parent, as she deals with that herself. She says she wants other girls to know that there is help available and they are not alone.

Amanda Nemeth, a 23-year-old Bay Mills tribal police officer outside of Sault Ste. Marie, was crowned 2019 Miss U.P. USA. She works closely with women and children who are victims of abuse. Nemeth says she wanted to participate in Miss U.P. USA to be an advocate for those women and children.

Both Peterson and Nemeth say the shock of winning the pageant is still settling in. They say people may be surprised to learn that pageants aren't what what you might expect. They say all of the girls got along well and became good friends over the course of the competition.

You can follow Miss Upper Peninsula USA on Facebook

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You can follow Miss Upper Peninsula Teen USA on Facebook

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