The Miss Indiana competition will be a hometown sister routine for Kate and Meg Dimmett.
Kate, a 2021 Zionsville Community High School graduate, will compete in the Miss Indiana competition, which is set for June 14-17 at STAR Bank Performing Arts Center in Zionsville. Meg, who will be a ZCHS senior this school year, will compete in Miss Indiana’s Teen. Meg is the only Zionsville contestant in the teen competition. Joining Kate in the Miss Indiana competition are Sam Robbins, Emilee Hunt and Shaylee Barnes.
“Getting to go through it together and being there the whole week together will be a lot of fun,” Kate said.
Kate, who will be a junior at Indiana University, won the Miss Indiana’s Teen in 2021. She majors in accounting and finance with a music minor.
Kate, 20, will play violin in the competition. She tap-danced for her talent portion when she won the Miss Indiana’s Teen competition and switched to violin for the national competition.
The sisters created a nonprofit called Notable Measures, which raises funds for music education programs in schools such as Indianapolis Public Schools, with Meg in 2017.
“In the past seven years, we’ve raised $65,000,” Kate said.
Kate said she loves the Miss Indiana organization.
“It’s changed my life,” she said. “I’ve won a lot of scholarship money through it. It’s a large scholarship provider for women in the United States. I love the women in the program. There’s not quite a group like this where we all go to different colleges, we all have different passions and talents, but we all come together and (share an) experience.”
Kate qualified by winning Miss Southern Heartland in September 2022 in Terre Haute. Meg qualified by winning Miss Cardinal’s Teen
“It’s fun to have a place where I can do my talent and play the violin and perform it,” Meg said. “I’m excited to spend time with all the girls.”
Sam Robbins
Robbins, 25, is competing in her 10th Miss Indiana competition. She was a teen the first three times.
The age limit was raised this year from 26 to 28.
“There have been times when I think it’s my second-to-last year, and both times they raised the age limit,” said Robbins, a 2016 ZCHS graduate and 2020 Ball State University graduate. “I also grow every single year as a person, as a professional and in my community service. I try to challenge myself to find a new thing about myself or my community or serving that I can experience differently each year.”
Robbins’ community service initiative is Party Smarty: Breaking the Substance Abuse Cycle.
“We’ve been hosting substance-free alternatives, especially on big holidays,” Robbins said. “We’re going to have a live substance-free event at Lions Park (in Zionsville) July 1.”
Robbins started Party Smarty while at Ball State.
As has been her norm, Robbins will tap dance for her talent portion.
Emilee Hunt
Hunt, 26, will be competing in Miss Indiana for the third time. A Terre Haute native, Hunt moved to Zionsville three years ago. She works on the communications team for Andretti Autosport.
“I’m really leaning into telling my full story,” Hunt said. “I’ve obviously had the same platform my entire time of competing in raising awareness for invisible illnesses, specifically lupus. Everything I do that week ties into what my health journey has been.”
She switched her talent routine to a contemporary dance routine with a powerful song, “Medicine,” by Daughter.
“It’s a little different from what we are all used to seeing on the Miss Indiana stage, but it’s perfect for me to do that,” Hunt said.
Hunt was diagnosed with lupus when she was 16, and at 18 was diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. She was 9 when diagnosed to Raynaud’s disease, a sister disease to lupus.
Hunt said she suffers from fatigue and swollen joints.
“Working on racing is very difficult for my body,” Hunt said. “We’re working 12 hours a day in the heat and walking. It’s a very hard thing, but it has helped me stay a bit more healthier because I’m adjusting my body to make sure it can do that.”
Hunt qualified by winning the Miss Fall Festival title in January.
Shaylee Barnes
A 2021 ZCHS graduate and an Indiana University pre-med major, Barnes is in her second Miss Indiana contest after competing in the teen competition three times. Her new community service initiative is the MEDLIFE Movement. MED stands for medical, education and development.
She recently returned from Ecuador, where she was on a service-learning trip.
“We were working with low-income communities (for a week), providing them medical care, and we also did a development project in one of the communities we did medical care in,” said Barnes, who began working with the MEDLIFE at IU club. “Recently, our IU chapter won the top fundraising award for MEDLIFE.”
Barnes, who qualified by winning Miss Three Rivers Festival, will sing for her talent program.
“The biggest thing that keeps me coming back is the sisterhood,” she said. “My favorite thing through the year is just competing in a bunch of different pageants because I get to see all my friends.”
