MANSFIELD — DeAnna Hardeman’s family members taught her from an early age that everyone has a purpose.
“My great aunt was like the matriarch of our family, and she always told me to wake up every day thinking about your purpose and to give back to the community,” Hardeman said. “Because you never know when you’ll need help from someone.”
The 2008 graduate of Mansfield Senior High School now lives in Reynoldsburg, and was crowned Ms. Ohio America’s United States in February. Contestants were judged and scored on 40% interview, 30% evening gown and 30% swimwear.
The Ms. America’s United States pageant allows entries from women who hold other pageant crowns or at-large entries. Hardeman has also held the 2023 Miss Midwest Charm crown since March.
Hardeman said her favorite portion of the pageant was evening gown. Her new position and drive to help the community around her has led to becoming an elder advocate, public speaker and volunteer.
The Mount Vernon Nazarene University alumna works as an Amazon inventory specialist and enjoys gardening. She said she is trying to spread awareness about nutrition programs that offer food and delivery services to senior citizens.
“I think it’s so important for everyone to have access to local produce and that can be hard to access especially for low-income seniors,” Hardeman said.
The 32-year-old said her favorite part of being a pageant queen is interacting with community members and listening to their stories.
“Especially elders or veterans, I just love listening to what they have to say and giving them the respect they deserve,” she said. “Since my grandparents are no longer here, I just want to give gratitude and respect to the elders in the community.”
Though Hardeman now lives in Columbus, she still likes to visit her hometown. She participated in the Area Agency on Aging’s senior spring extravaganza in May.
“The whole point of the senior extravaganza is to give older people in our community the chance to spend time with each other and not feel that people are boxing them in,” she said. “I’ve also gotten to work with the Urban Aging Residents Coalition in Columbus, which is really rewarding.”
Hardeman also enjoys helping her friends and family landscape their yards and gifting flowers to community members.
She had competed in multiple pageant programs before Ms. Ohio America’s United States, earning a talent award for lyrical dance at the 2016 Ohio Cinderella Pageant.
“I always did pageants in my 20s, but I never won,” she said. “Now, I’m in my early 30s and I get to represent my region. So that just goes to show that you’re never too old to accomplish a milestone in your life.”
Hardeman will hold her current pageant crowns through spring of next year. She said she hopes to use her position to get more involved in her community and meet new people.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity to show my kindness for the community,” she said. “I love uplifting others and learning their stories.
To keep up with Hardeman’s journey as the 2023 Ms. Ohio America’s United States, follow her Instagram @butterflywithgrace.
