Lauren Frank had watched and supported friends who had competed in the Miss Indiana pageant and figured her time to enter the competition had passed.
“I always wanted to compete, but it was a timing thing for me that it didn’t work out and then I aged out,” said Frank, who has lived in Carmel for three years.
At 27, Frank thought she would never get the chance, until Miss America officials raised the age to 28 in January. It previously was raised from 25 to 26 in 2021.
“When I heard of the change, I knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance,” she said. “One of my biggest regrets is never competing. I think it’s going to be really surreal for me to be on that stage regardless of the outcome, because I’ve gone for so many years. To be able to showcase my experiences as a genetic counselor, it’s such a specialized field, and to compete in all the areas of competition, I think is going to be surreal. This will be the only chance I will ever get because next year I will age out.’
Frank won the Miss Heart of the Midwest in February in the first competition she had participated in to qualify for Miss Indiana. She will compete in the Miss Indiana competition at the STAR Bank Performing Arts Center in Zionsville. The preliminary competition is set for 7 p.m. June 14-16 with the finals at 6 p.m. June 17. Frank works at Indiana University Health North in Carmel as a genetic counselor in the maternal and fetal medicine department.
Frank will sing a song from the musical version of “Legally Blonde.”
“I always say Elle Woods is similar in personality to me,” Frank said. “So hopefully I get to show my bubbly, fun side.”
Frank’s platform is about “It’s In Your Genes. Understanding Family Risk Factors.”
Frank, who grew up on the southside of Indianapolis, is a Roncalli High School graduate. She earned her bachelor’s degree in biology and got a master’s degree in genetics at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, N.Y.
“Since I’m from Indianapolis, I wanted to come back home to work,” said Frank, who has performed at Civic Theatre in Carmel.
