Emma Conrad Is 2023’s Tipton County Pork Festival Queen
Writer / Natalie Platt
Photography Provided
At the age when many high school students are finding their footing, 18-year-old Emma Conrad is thriving. A lifelong resident of Kokomo, Conrad has attended Tri-Central schools since kindergarten and spends most of her time in Tipton County. She attended Rock Prairie Church for 12 years and Crossroads Community Church for the past six years. Much of her extended family lives in Tipton – and what a name she has made for the Conrad family. 
“I have competed in the Pork Festival pageant the past two years, and competed in the mini 4-H princess pageant when I was younger,” she says. “To prepare for the Pork Festival pageant, I spent a lot of time shopping with my mom and sisters for the right dress, and hours working on interview questions with my parents.”
Conrad also worked with family friend Jessica Higginbotham, who is experienced with pageants. The 54th annual Tipton County Pork Festival was held in September of this year, and is one of the original festivals to the state of Indiana. Conrad’s preparation paid off, as she was crowned 2023 Miss Tipton County Pork Festival Queen.
“It is an honor to represent Tipton County as the Pork Festival Queen,” she says. “Even on the weekend of the pageant, I could see the way the little girls looked up to me and the rest of the court. I love that I get to set an example for those little girls, to show that you can be yourself and still be a princess or a queen.”
Conrad already participated in the Indiana State Festivals Association Pageant, and will be making appearances at other events and parades throughout the year.
That’s not all that she is involved in.
“In cheerleading I have been the captain at Tri-Central High School for my junior and senior years, and received all-American accolades and the Pin it Forward award that recognizes kindness and leadership,” Conrad says.
And it doesn’t end there. Conrad was also named president of the National Honor Society this year, and is currently vice president of her senior class, all while winning the coveted Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship.
“To prepare for these accolades, I have spent many hours working, practicing and studying, to be the best student and leader that I can be,” she says. “Receiving these awards reminds me that hard work pays off.”
Conrad credits her parents, Micah and Ashley Conrad, for inspiring her in many ways.
“They have taught me to live out my faith in everything I do,” she says. “This includes working hard with the gifts and talents that God has given me, treating people with love and grace like Jesus has with me, and behaving and acting in a way that glorifies God. My drive and motivation come from a desire to be who God has called me to be.”
Conrad will graduate from Tri-Central next spring with an academic honors diploma, and would like to attend college to pursue a nursing degree. After college, she has her sights set on working at a local hospital, and someday focusing on neonatal care.
“I love the idea of giving back to my community with my full-time job,” Emma Conrad says. “Eventually I would like to raise my family here.”
