The moment Coon Rapids resident Natalie Berg won Miss Minnesota's Teen, back in March, she said she was speechless.
"When my name was called, I was a little shocked,” Berg said. “I instantly just fell to the ground and know in that moment, you don't realize that your life is literally changing forever."
The 17-year-old Berg wowed the judges while performing her Irish dance routine and winning the talent part of the competition.
"I have been an avid Irish dancer for almost 11 years now, which is incredible to think about because it hasn't been an easy journey whatsoever,” Berg said. “And knowing that I've persevered and worked so hard to be where I am at today is incredible."
As part of her social initiative, Natalie gets to share her love for literacy with kids from all across Minnesota.
"My community service initiative is called "Building Children's Literacy One Book at a Time" and I really focus on educating as many people as possible on the importance of children's literacy," Berg said.
To date, Natalie's donated more than 3,500 books to children all across Minnesota. Berg will represent Minnesota at the 2024 Miss America's Teen competition. The location, date and time have yet to be determined.
"They have moved it back to January with the Miss America competition,” Berg said. “So they will be combining, and so there will be 102 girls competing on one stage."