Like many recent graduates, 23-year-old Elyse Noe is adjusting to a life outside of the structure of school. A member of the University of Kansas Class of 2022, Noe earned a degree in journalism. Throughout her time in college, she was an active member of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority, and even did volunteer work for Rock Chalk Video.
But unlike many of her fellow alumni, Noe is not entering the workforce this year but instead will spend her time representing Kansas in the Miss USA pageant.
Although Noe is originally from Duluth, Minnesota, she calls Kansas home. Elyse said her family’s state roots date back to 1859 with the start of the Noe Family Farm in Lecompton, and Noe spent the majority of her childhood in Overland Park.
Noe began competing for titles when she was 11 years old, but she says she did not find her voice in pageantry until she tuned into her own vulnerability.
“I competed when I was younger, as I mentioned, but I really kind of was immersed in the pageantry life and wasn’t dealing with kind of the stuff that I was going through with my trauma,” Noe said. “I know that if I wanted to be successful in my life and be successful in my career at KU or in pageantry, that I really had to take that head-on.”
Noe was a victim of childhood sexual abuse, and now she uses her advocacy to mentor young girls who have experienced similar trauma.
“Part of my healing process is to talk about my experience with other people,” Noe said. “I’m really big on relationships, you know, just being open and being vulnerable.”
Noe says she largely attributes her personal growth to KU alumna and NFL sideline reporter Laura Okmin. Okmin is the founder of GALvanize, a media program dedicated to building confidence and sisterhood in women in sports. Okmin says the heart of the organization is to ensure members can share their own stories before asking somebody else for theirs.
Although Noe was initially rejected from the program, she persisted with her application and, consulted GALvanize’s Project Manager Pamela Urlacher.
“I just knew that she needed a little push in order to be vulnerable and really go headfirst into the sisterhood that GALvanize created,” Urlacher said.
After she sent a follow-up email, Okmin was impressed with Noe’s personability.
“I couldn’t open the doors quick enough to get her,” Okmin said.
Throughout the years, Okmin has worked with over 4,000 women in sports. But she says Noe stands out.
“I think the first thing that really struck me was how beautiful on the inside she was,” Okmin said. “She was so empathetic and so kind to everyone, and she was so caring and so loving to all her sisters.”
In fact, Okmin says the least interesting thing about Noe is her looks.
“That title of Miss Kansas is pretty darn cool, but what I’m really excited about for Elyse is to see how she grows from it and how she teaches from it,” Okmin said. “I think she’s going to wear this crown beautifully and not just change her life, but I think she’s going to help change a lot of other women’s lives in the process.”
