Local teen wins Miss Wyoming Teen USA

Worland's Aubree Kruger, 17, won the title of Miss Wyoming Teen USA 2023 earlier this summer, selected by a panel of judges.

This was Kruger's second year participating in pageants. "I have a friend, and she had previously done it [pageantry], but when she was telling me about it, of course, I had never done pageantry before, so I really didn't know what it was about. So after talking to her, I realized that, hey, this is like something that I could actually do," Kruger said. 

Her favorite part of pageantry has been, "the sisterhood." When asked to elaborate, she said, "You don't know the girls when you originally go, but it's like you've known them your whole life. You kind of just click with them. And since then, I mean, we have a group chat. We talk all of the time. We tell each other every single update about our lives. So it's a really close group of friends."

Kruger chose this specific program because she heard good things about it. "I have seen it in girls' stories, like the way that they have grown themselves, and so for that reason, I kind of was drawn to it," she explained. 

Kruger is the second teen from Washakie County to win the title of Miss Wyoming Teen USA, with Katy Lambert winning in 2006.

This year's Wyoming pageant was held in Greeley, Colorado, on June 28-30 while the national Miss Teen Pageant was held in Los Angeles, California, on Aug. 1. The Miss Wyoming Teen USA and Miss Wyoming USA are both part of the Miss Universe Organization.

The Miss Wyoming Teen USA pageant consists of three proportional segments: evening gown, swimwear/active wear and interview.

Kruger enjoyed her experience at both pageants. "For Miss Wyoming Teen USA, it's very easy to become friends with these girls, because we still see each other to this day," Kruger said. During the national pageant, they explored California. "We did so many fun things. We went to the Santa Monica Pier. We spent a day at Universal [Studios]. We had high tea at the Biltmore. It was great. So it's just a lot of bonding experiences."

As Miss Wyoming Teen USA, Kruger does have to fulfill her duties. Her duty is to finish up the year. "That looks like doing a lot of charitable events. So actually, if anybody needs me for anything, there's a form on the Miss Wyoming Teen USA page for an appearance request," Kruger said.

She has appeared in a few area parades and was an award presenter at the 2024 Pepsi Wyoming BBQ Championship & Bluegrass Festival last month.

Besides her Miss Teen Wyoming duties, she also has a personal initiative. "It is called Hearts to Hands, and my goal is to just educate people on volunteering and the ins and outs of that. And then I'm also working to mandate a statewide volunteer day for teens."

According to the Miss Wyoming Teen USA biography, "At only 17 years old, Aubree started her own clothing boutique, House of Cait, and took her passion project Hearts to Hands into action. She educates today's teens on the ins and outs of volunteering through her educational Instagram videos and hopes that she can bring communities together to build a better future."

Kruger attends Worland High School as a senior. She is president of Future Business Leaders of America and a lead editor for the yearbook. She is also a four-year member of the cheer team.

She is the daughter of Jackie and Nick Kruger of Worland.