Cara Mund facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Cara Mund
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| Born | December 8, 1993 Bismarck, North Dakota, U.S.
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| Education | Brown University (BA) Harvard University (JD) |
| Political party | Republican (2024–present) |
| Title | Miss Red River Valley's Outstanding Teen 2010 Miss North Dakota's Outstanding Teen 2010 Miss Oil Country 2016 Miss Northern Lights 2017 Miss North Dakota 2017 Miss America 2018 |
| Beauty pageant titleholder | |
| Hair color | Natural Blonde |
| Eye color | Blue |
Cara D. Mund (born December 8, 1993) is an American lawyer. She is also known for being a former beauty queen from Bismarck, North Dakota. In June 2017, she won the title of Miss North Dakota 2017. Later, on September 10, 2017, she was crowned Miss America 2018 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. She was the first person from North Dakota to win this big competition.
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Early Life and School
Cara Mund was born in Bismarck, North Dakota. Her parents are DeLora Kautzmann-Mund and Doug Mund.
Cara is a talented choreographer and dancer. When she was in high school, she trained for four summers with the famous Radio City Rockettes. In 2019, they even named her one of their "Successful Rockette Women." Since she was 14, Cara has organized a yearly fashion show to raise money for the Make-a-Wish Foundation. This foundation helps children with serious illnesses.
In high school, Cara was the president of her school's National Honor Society. She was also one of the top students in her class, known as a valedictorian. Her classmates even voted her "most likely to become Miss America."
Cara graduated with high honors from Brown University in 2016. She earned a degree in business, entrepreneurship, and organizations. Her main project was about the Miss America Organization. Cara was also the president of her sorority, Kappa Delta. She has said that her time at Brown helped her learn to "think on [her] feet."
From August to December 2016, she worked as an intern for Republican Senator John Hoeven.
In 2019, the North Dakota House of Representatives honored Cara with a special resolution. She was also added to the North Dakota Bluebook's list of "Notable North Dakotans." She was recognized as one of "Five Women Who Changed North Dakota's History." On March 11, 2021, the North Dakota State Museum opened an exhibit featuring Cara.
Before she became Miss America, Cara planned to go to law school. In May 2022, she graduated from Harvard Law School with honors. There, she was a teaching fellow and worked on the Harvard Journal of Sports and Entertainment Law. She was also part of the Harvard Law School Mock Trial Association. On September 23, 2022, Cara Mund became a licensed lawyer in North Dakota.
Pageant Journey
Starting in Pageants
Cara began competing in beauty pageants when she was a child. She won titles like Little Miss North Dakota and Miss Pre-Teen North Dakota. Later, she competed in Miss North Dakota's Outstanding Teen 2010 as Miss Red River Valley's Outstanding Teen. She won that competition and then competed in Miss America's Outstanding Teen 2011. She also placed fourth in the Miss North Dakota Teen USA 2012 pageant.
Miss North Dakota
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Cara competed in Miss North Dakota 2016 as Miss Oil Country 2016. She was the first runner-up that year. She returned to the competition the next year as Miss Northern Lights 2017. This time, she was crowned Miss North Dakota 2017. Her special cause was "A Make-A-Wish Passion with Fashion."
Miss America 2018
Cara Mund represented North Dakota in the Miss America 2018 competition. This event took place at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in September 2017. Her platform, or cause, was "A Make-A-Wish Passion with Fashion." During the early rounds, Cara was named the first runner-up for the Quality of Life Award. This award recognizes contestants who show great dedication to their community service platform.
On September 10, 2017, Cara Mund was crowned Miss America 2018. The previous Miss America, Savvy Shields, crowned her. Along with the title, she received a $50,000 scholarship for her education. Cara is the first person from North Dakota to ever win the Miss America title. She was also the last Miss America to compete in the swimsuit part of the competition.
During her time as Miss America, Cara was the 2018 National Goodwill Ambassador for the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. She also worked closely with the USO, which supports military families. In August 2018, Cara spoke out about her experiences with the Miss America Organization's leadership. She wanted to make sure that the voices of women were heard and respected within the organization. She believed that the organization should truly empower women.
On December 8, 2019, Cara Mund became the first and only Miss America to judge the Miss Universe competition.
Politics
Running for Office
On August 6, 2022, Cara Mund announced she would run for a seat in the United States House of Representatives. She ran as an independent candidate to represent North Dakota. She said that a court decision about important health topics made her want to enter the race. She lost the election to Republican Kelly Armstrong.
On April 8, 2024, Cara Mund announced she would run again for the U.S. House of Representatives. This time, she ran in the NDGOP primary election. She aimed to replace Kelly Armstrong, who was running for governor. On June 11, 2024, Cara lost the primary election. She came in third place.
Legal Career
As of 2024, Cara Mund works as a lawyer at a firm called Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP. She works on complex business lawsuits. This includes cases about financial crimes, company bankruptcies, and workplace issues.
