Haley Jordan Is Embracing Her Role as Miss Indiana USA 2023

Writer / Melissa Gibson
Photographer / Amy Payne

Haley Jordan has been in pageants since she was 12 years old, and through every one of them, her mother was by her side.

“I love pageants,” says Jordan, who was Miss Indiana for the Miss America organization. “My mom, Susan, loved to help. She was there in 2017 when I was at Miss America. She wrote me supportive notes for every area of competition.”

In December of 2020, Jordan’s mom passed away from cancer and the young contestant’s pageant reign came to a halt. Despite her loss, Jordan went on to graduate from Indiana University, having studied broadcast journalism and Spanish.

After moving back home, she landed a job at Sports Illustrated and began covering the NBA and Indiana Hoosiers. Today Jordan works seasonally as a sportscaster for various teams like the Indianapolis Indians and Indy Eleven.  

She’s the host of the upcoming Indy Eleven docuseries “Undrafted,” and is a Division I volleyball and men’s and women’s basketball analyst for ESPN+.

It’s rare to see a woman in the sports broadcasting field. In fact, Jordan recalls being the only female in the classroom more often than not, but she knew that news wasn’t her cup of tea.

“I can get depressed by news,” she says. “It can be so sad in the climate we’re in. I was always an athlete. I played soccer and volleyball. I’m a chatter box, I love to write and I love to be on camera, so sports broadcasting was a good fit for me.”

She recently accepted a full-time position at Plainfield High School as a media broadcasting teacher, inspiring future media stars in their passion for the field. It doesn’t hurt that students simply see her as Ms. Jordan, and not as any of the many other roles she plays in life. Jordan says her bond with the students allows her to inspire and educate in a unique way.

With plenty of freelance and part-time work, she’s able to include her industry experience in the classroom as well.

“I still work for the Indians, and will interview baseball players and bring that footage back to my students to work with the same material,” Jordan says. “I see it as a challenge, to recruit other young women to the sports world and to give back to a younger generation.”

Despite her bubbly personality, standing in front of the camera and leading the way in sportscast journalism over the past few years, few would know that deep down, Jordan is still struggling with grief.

“I never thought at 22 years old I would lose my mom,” she says. “I wasn’t prepared for the grief and it affects my health, my brain, my body. My mom was my everything and she had stage 4 glioblastoma brain cancer. She was in remission for three years and it felt like that chapter was over, but it came back.”

She says the process of grief is nonlinear, can be incredibly frustrating and looks different for everyone, yet there are ways to help each other on the journey. For Jordan, one of the challenges was getting back into pageants.

“When I started working at Sports Illustrated Indiana, I considered doing pageants again, but I didn’t want to do it without my mom,” Jordan says. “It had been five years since I’d been on stage and it would be a tough challenge.”

Jordan has always been one to push herself, however, and she knew the benefits of participating could outweigh her fears. In 2022 Jordan did take the stage and placed first runner-up in the Miss Indiana USA competition.

In 2023 she won the local title Miss Central Indiana, and then became the 72nd Miss Indiana USA.

Though her mom can’t be here to root her on physically, Jordan used everything her mom taught her to win the crown.

Her platform is raising awareness for grief support.

“My mom always said never let anyone or anything steal your joy,” Jordan says. “My grief did that to me for the longest time. I had my family, faith, a strong community, and it took me a minute to figure out that it was normal to process this grief over time.”

Grief is often an awkward conversation topic, and can make others feel uncomfortable, but Jordan is committed to her passion, sharing her journey with others and helping those experiencing grief in the process.

One of the ways she’s able to share is through the hands-on approach she takes in her role as Miss Indiana USA.

“When I’m Miss Indiana USA, the crown and the sash is like a megaphone,” she says. “It gets people’s attention and it’s up to you to keep it.”

Her hashtag is #joy and Jordan plans to spread more of it, everywhere she goes. She’s looking forward to the appearances she’ll be invited to over the next year. She’ll go to Colts training camps and community service events, and hopes to make an impact in every situation.

“I will try my best to go to every event someone requests,” she says. “They can book me at missindianateenusa.com for an appearance.”

While the proud Native American loves to share her unique qualities, she’s quick to explain the benefits of pageants and the fact that the competitions are much more than just pretty faces.

“The community of women is phenomenal,” Jordan says. “We have a group text message where we can share information and it’s like automatically having 50 new friends. It’s true that you have to look polished and present yourself well, but the woman who wins isn’t the one who looks good in a bathing suit and gown. It’s the one that communicates the best in the interview.”

Communication, it’s safe to say, is one of Jordan’s strong suits. She attributes much of her success to the experiences and education she’s received from participating in various pageants over the years.

“I think if it wasn’t for pageants, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” she says. “I wouldn’t be a good sports broadcaster. I think my confidence would be lower. Because of these competitions, I’m never nervous to speak in front of a crowd, and it’s provided amazing opportunities for me.”

Regardless of any pageant results, Jordan has already been victorious in many areas of her life.

“This year has been completely different,” she says. “I feel like I’m really on the path to healing, and I can’t wait to continue spreading that joy and encouraging others in every aspect.”

Visit missusa.com for the most up-to-date Miss USA results.