PULLMAN, WA – A Washington State University employee will represent the state on a national stage later this month.

Aly Heinrich, manager of the CougarCard Center at the Compton Union Building in Pullman, is set to compete in the Mrs. American pageant in Las Vegas after being crowned Mrs. Washington American earlier this year.

The pageant, part of the Mrs. America system, celebrates married women for their poise, community service, and personal accomplishments. Contestants are judged in multiple categories, with half of the scoring based on interview performance. Heinrich plans to use that time to speak about her passion for voter education and outreach.

“I don’t care who you vote for, I just want to make sure you know how to vote when the time comes,” Heinrich said. She currently serves on the board of the League of Women Voters of Washington, a role she has held since moving to Pullman in 2020.

Heinrich began competing in pageants as a teenager to help fund her education, earning more than $5,000 in scholarships along the way. While she never won a crown during those years, her persistence paid off in March when she won the state title in Olympia.

The Mrs. Washington America pageant winner advances to Mrs. America, while the first runner-up—this year Heinrich—qualifies for Mrs. American. National winners from both pageants move on to compete for the Mrs. World title.

Heinrich said she values pageantry for the friendships and professional growth it brings. “You find a huge group of like-minded people, women who signed up for a pageant because they knew they were going to grow professionally or grow their platform. All of the women are passionate about improving their community,” she said.