10 September 2023
TOPEKA (KSNT) – Kayla Schadegg would be the first to tell you, she’s not your typical pageant queen. She placed first-runner up at Mrs. United World pageant last weekend, but she’s not in it for the competition.
Mrs. Kansas United World loves her glam and sparkles, but she competes in pageants for her daughter. Kayla’s seven-year-old daughter, Kerrigan, was diagnosed with Down’s Syndrome at birth.
“We unfortunately had a really terrible diagnosis experience,” Kayla said. “We were told our quality of life was going to be awful because our daughter has an extra chromosome. And A: that’s not true. And B: that’s not how that should have gone.”
Kayla’s platform ‘Strong over Wrong’ aims to improve the diagnosis experience for families. Competing in pageants wasn’t always the plan, but Kayla wanted a way to make a difference. And most importantly, advocate for those with disabilities.
She was scrolling through Facebook roughly four years ago when she saw an add for a married-women’s pageant system. At first, she wasn’t sold. But after some thought, she decided to try it.
“I wanted a way to advocate that felt true to me and to my family and my personality and style,” Kayla said. ” So, I looked at my husband one day, and said ‘I think I want to do a beauty pageant.’ And bless him, he is the most supportive human being on earth.”
Kayla’s husband, Kelly Schadegg, supports her from behind the scenes. He said he’s gotten pretty good at sewing up dresses, and of course, cheering on his wife.
To Kayla, that’s one of the perks about the United World pageants. She gets to take her husband, her son and daughter with her. Kayla loves the fact that Kerrigan gets to participate, and really be part of the experience.
“I come home with a bag full of things, and she gets to sort through and decide what things are Kerrigan’s things and what things are mom’s things,” Kayla said. “She always likes to take care of my opening number dress when I come home, so as soon as I get home, she’s like ‘Where’s my new dress? Let’s go, I would like to try it on.'”
That’s Kayla’s whole goal: to show her daughter that anything is possible.
“Another couple years and Kerrigan is really going to – it’s really going to hit her of what mom’s doing out on stage,” Kelly said. “And she’s really going to get a kick out of it, and probably want to do it herself.”