Rachel Latuff

Rachel Latuff (born March 2, 1991) is an American educator and beauty pageant titleholder from Minneapolis, Minnesota, who was crowned Miss Minnesota 2015. She competed for the Miss America 2016 title in September 2015.

Rachel Latuff
Born (1991-03-02) March 2, 1991
EducationUniversity of Minnesota Duluth
TitleMiss Midwest 2012
Miss Saint Paul 2014
Miss Olmsted County 2015
Miss Minnesota 2015
Beauty pageant titleholder
Major
competition(s)		Miss America 2016
Websitehttp://rachellatuff.weebly.com/

Pageant career

Early pageants

Latuff's first pageant experience was an unsuccessful bid to become Miss Bayfront in Duluth, Minnesota.[1] On July 21, 2012, Latuff won the Miss Midwest 2012 title.[2] She competed in the 2013 Miss Minnesota pageant with the platform "Teach For America: Creating a Better Tomorrow for Youth Education" and a ribbon dance performance in the talent portion of the competition.[3][4] She was not a finalist for the state title.[4]

On January 4, 2014, Latuff won the Miss Saint Paul 2014 title.[5] She competed in the 2014 Miss Minnesota pageant with the platform "Engage, Educate, Empower: Building Cultural Competency Through the Arts" and a ribbon dance performance in the talent portion of the competition.[6][7] She was named fourth runner-up to winner Savannah Cole and won the pageant's Lifestyle and Fitness Award.[7]

As a runner-up for Miss Minnesota, Latuff was chosen to represent Minnesota at the 2014 National Sweetheart pageant in Hoopeston, Illinois.[8] She tied for the John Bitner Judge's Award but was not a finalist for this national crown.[9]

Miss Minnesota 2015

On January 17, 2015, Latuff was crowned Miss Olmsted County 2015 and qualified for a third try at the state title.[10][11] She entered the Miss Minnesota pageant at Eden Prairie High School in June 2015 as one of 27 local pageant qualifiers.[12][13] Latuff's competition talent was a contemporary ribbon dance.[12] Her platform is "Teaching the Heart: Building the Social and Emotional Wellness of Youth and their Teachers".[12]

Latuff won the competition on Saturday, June 13, 2015, when she received her crown from outgoing Miss Minnesota titleholder Savannah Cole.[14] She earned more than $9,000 in scholarship money and other prizes from the state pageant. As Miss Minnesota, her activities include public appearances across the state of Minnesota.[12]

In honor of her win, Wyatt's Twisted Americana restaurant in Hastings, Minnesota, added a special cheeseburger to their menu. Called "Miss Minnesota's Own – Rachel's Four Point Burger", it was served with lettuce, pickles, onions, and tomatoes and a side of french fries plus an onion ring topped by "sweet sparkles" as an imitation of her crown.[15] Proceeds from the sale of the cheeseburger were donated to Latuff's platform cause and it was only available during the city's Rivertown Days festival in mid-July 2015.[15]

Vying for Miss America 2016

Latuff was Minnesota's representative at the Miss America 2016 pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in September 2015.[14][16] In the televised finale on September 13, 2015, she placed outside the Top 15 semi-finalists and was eliminated from competition. She was awarded a $3,000 scholarship prize as her state's representative.[17][18]

Early life and education

Latuff is a native of Hastings, Minnesota, and a 2009 graduate of Hastings High School.[2][19] Her father is Scott Latuff and her mother is Wendy Latuff.[2]

Latuff is a May 2013 graduate of the University of Minnesota Duluth where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in art education.[4][20] Since June 2014, Latuff has worked as a high school visual arts teacher at North Woods School in St. Louis County, Minnesota.[1][7][12][20][21]

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References
  1. Tyssen, Linda (July 10, 2015). "North Woods teacher crowned Miss Minnesota". Mesabi Daily News. Virginia, MN: Adams Publishing Group. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  2. "Rachel Latuff was named Miss Midwest". Hastings Star Gazette. Hastings, MN: Forum Communications. August 2, 2012. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  3. "State Contestants: Minnesota - 2013". Miss America. 2013. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  4. Styx, Katrina (June 27, 2013). "Miss Midwest: Hastings woman was part of recent Miss Minnesota pageant". Hastings Star Gazette. Hastings, MN: Forum Communications. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  5. "Scholarship Pageant Announcements". Miss Minneapolis/Miss St. Paul. Archived from the original on December 20, 2014. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  6. "State Contestants: Minnesota - 2014". Miss America. 2014. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  7. Styx, Katrina (July 8, 2014). "Hastings native places in top 5 at Miss Minnesota pageant". Hastings Star Gazette. Hastings, MN: Forum Communications. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  8. "2014 National Sweetheart Pageant Contestants" (PDF). Hoopeston, IL: National Sweetheart. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  9. "2014 Award Winners" (PDF). Hoopeston, IL: National Sweetheart. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  10. "New Miss Olmsted County and Miss Rochester 2015 Crowned Tonight". Austin, MN: KAAL. January 17, 2015. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  11. "Wow!". Miss Rochester/Miss Olmsted County Scholarship Pageant. January 18, 2015. Retrieved August 9, 2015 – via Facebook.
  12. Styx, Katrina (June 17, 2015). "Hastings native wins Miss Minnesota pageant". Hastings Star Gazette. Hastings, MN: Forum Communications. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  13. "Miss Minnesota 2015". Miss Minnesota. Archived from the original on August 9, 2015. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  14. "Miss Olmsted County crowned Miss Minnesota". Post-Bulletin. Rochester, MN: Small Newspaper Group. June 15, 2015. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  15. Styx, Katrina (July 16, 2015). "A burger fit for royalty: Wyatt's creates new burger in honor of Miss Minnesota". Hastings Star Gazette. Hastings, MN: Forum Communications. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  16. "State Contestants: Minnesota - 2015". Miss America. 2015. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  17. "Miss America Show Scholarships 2016". Miss America. Archived from the original on April 5, 2016. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  18. "The 2016 Miss America Competition Scholarships & Awards" (Press release). Miss America. September 16, 2015. Archived from the original on October 22, 2015. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  19. Richardson, Chad (June 11, 2009). "Happy graduates". Hastings Star Gazette. Hastings, MN: Forum Communications. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  20. "Miss Minnesota". Rachel Latuff Official Website. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  21. "Ms. Latuff ~ Secondary Visual Arts Teacher". Cook, MN: North Woods School. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Savannah Cole		 Miss Minnesota
2015		 Succeeded by
Madeline Van Ert
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