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| Lindsey Tycholiz |
Lindsey Tycholiz (CAS ’07) was crowned Miss Michigan USA and will compete in next spring’s Miss USA Pageant in Las Vegas. The music education major, with minors in theatre and biology, vied against nearly 60 contestants at McMorran Place Theater in Port Huron in September.
“I couldn’t believe I won. I thought I was dreaming,” she recalls. “But when I woke up the next morning, the crown and sash were still here. It was very exciting and very fun. Channel 7 news came to my house the next day, and I did a bunch of newspaper and phone interviews.”
Tycholiz will receive a $34,000 four-year full tuition scholarship to Baker College as well as jewelry, cosmetics, clothing, shoes and electronics.
“I began competing because I’ve always been into performing and being on stage,” said Tycholiz, a Sterling Heights resident. “But after my first pageant, I realized this can help me long term in terms of gaining confidence and improving my interview and interpersonal skills. If you can stand on stage in a bikini, you can do anything.”
Before winning Miss Michigan USA, Tycholiz competed in Miss Florida USA in 2008, Miss Michigan USA in 2007 and 2004, and Miss Michigan Teen in 2001. She was named Miss Congeniality in 2004.
As Miss Michigan USA, Tycholiz will help raise funds and awareness for breast and ovarian cancer. In addition, she volunteers for the Michigan Humane Society and the American Lung Association, because two of her grandparents passed away from lung disease.
While a student at OU, Tycholiz participated in the Oakland Chorale and performed in student productions. “I had a lot of great teachers and instructors and Oakland, and all have inspired me,” she said. Two of her favorite professors are Mike Mitchell, associate professor of music, and Debbie Blair, assistant professor of music education.
Tycholiz’s career goal is to teach music and be a choir director at a high school, and she plans to use the tuition to earn her master’s degree in teaching.
She is putting her teaching plans on hold during her rein as Miss Michigan, and she recently began a job with Saturn as a presenter at auto shows. She will attend the Detroit, Chicago and Atlanta shows, among others. She also teaches choreography and assists the musical theatre group from Roseville High School, the Macombers at Macomb Community College and the Roeper Theatre Summer Stock.
The Miss USA pageant will be aired live from Planet Hollywood on NBC in April.