Hannah Neeleman was crowned Mrs. American 2023 on Friday, August 25, at Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The 33-year-old woman, who is a rancher and entrepreneur, represented South Dakota and defeated over 40 others to win the much-coveted national title and crown of Mrs. America 2023.
The new Mrs. America is being lauded all over the internet following her winning moment and her epic pro-life response on stage when she extolled the joys of motherhood moments before her historic victory. A judge onstage asked Hannah Neeleman the final question for the top 3:
“When have you felt the most empowered?”
To this, Hannah took a moment and then answered:
“I have felt this feeling seven times now as I bring these sacred souls to the earth. After I hold that newborn baby in my arms, the feeling of motherhood and bringing them to the earth is the most empowering feeling I have ever felt.”
Hannah Neeleman’s answer received applause and standing ovations from the audience and won hearts among netizens.
Everything you need to know about Hannah Neeleman, the winner of Mrs. America 2023
According to Utah Valley 360, Mrs. America 2023 is a Utah native, even though she represented South Dakota in the pageant. She is a dance graduate from the famous New York performing arts conservatory called The Juilliard School, from where she passed magna cum laude in 2012.
For four years following her marriage in 2014, she lived in Sao Paolo, Brazil, where her husband, Daniel, worked as a businessman and she was a dancer. However, in 2017, she returned to Utah and set up a Ballerina Farm. It is a farm-to-table agriculture business where the couple sells beef, pork, sourdough accessories, and other kitchen essentials. In fact, their self-grown products are sold worldwide.
She is a mother of seven and lives with her husband and children in the mountain valley of Kamas, Utah. She is a professional ballerina, alongside being a rancher and an entrepreneur. She has been a former Miss New York City, followed by Mrs. Utah in 2021. In fact, since her win in 2021, she has gained millions of followers on Instagram, which currently stands at over 6.1 million. She is also equally popular on TikTok and YouTube.
On her social media, she shares her family life with her husband and seven children aged between newborn and ten, as well as her hard work on the farm to establish the business promoting the traditional agrarian lifestyle.
Other winners from the Mrs. America 2023 pageant
Hannah Neeleman was crowned Mrs. America 2023 by her predecessor and winner of 2022, Krisdee Clark of South Carolina. Following her exemplary win, she is expected to compete in the Mrs. World 2023 pageant later this year.
Alongside Hannah, two others were crowned at the pageant - Mandy Fave of Minnesota and Jayme Perryman of Idaho, who were the first and second runners-up, respectively.
Sharelle Mendenhall of Nevada, Katheryn Clatterbaugh of North Carolina, and AnnMarie Gutierrez of Texas were also announced as the top 6 finalists. Overall, 15 finalists competed in the Mrs. America 2023 pageant. Other candidates represented states like Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, South Carolina, Utah, and Wisconsin.