Grace Chapa ’24 extends Carthage success as Miss Kenosha

Grace Chapa ’24 won this year’s Miss Kenosha Scholarship Competition, continuing the legacy of Carthage students who have claimed the title.

Credit: Sam Vaughn Photography and Stephanie from Bird of Paradox Studios As Miss Kenosha 2024, Grace follows in the footsteps of the past two scholarship winners, Willow Newell ’25 and Jenna Zeihen ’22, along with many other previous alumni of the College. Tori (Bogren) Pillizzi ’14, another former winner, directs the competition.

Among this year’s other Carthage contestants, Mariah Bader ’24 was the second runner-up and Kyah Jernigan ’25 received the Spirit of Miss Kenosha Award. Morgan Kelsey ’27 and Leah Oyen ’26 also competed in the event that took place Feb. 17.

Grace, the principal horn player in the Carthage Wind Orchestra, performed the piece “Nocturno” for the talent portion of the competition. She hopes to inspire young Kenoshans to play the French horn.

As Miss Kenosha, Grace will make appearances at special events throughout southeastern Wisconsin. The one-year role qualifies her to compete for the Miss Wisconsin title in June.

At Carthage, Grace studies Spanish with a secondary education minor. She is the marketing chair and former president of Mi Gente, an organization that educates students about Hispanic culture.

She teaches salsa and bachata dance classes as a volunteer with the nonprofit Kenosha Creative Space and works for Carthage’s unique Urban Teacher Preparation Program. In January, Grace became one of the College’s first Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy Award recipients.