Nicole Kelly, 23, may have been born without her left forearm, but that didn’t stop her from her being crowned Miss Iowa on June 8 after a three-day competition in Davenport.
23岁的妮可-凯莉自出生时就没有左前臂，但这并不妨碍她参与在达文波特举行的选美比赛。6月8日，经过三天的激烈角逐后，凯莉摘得“爱荷华州小姐”的桂冠。
Kelly will now advance to compete for the Miss America title on Sept. 15 in Atlantic City, N. J., where she will be speaking about the importance of overcoming disabilities.
9月15日，凯莉将前往新泽西州亚特兰大市，参加“美国小姐”选美评比，在那里凯莉还将就克服自身残障的重要意义进行演讲。
“A year ago, I certainly didn’t see ‘pageant titleholder’ in my future,” Kelly writes on her “Meet Miss Iowa” biography page. “Perhaps I didn’t originally envision this path, but I now know that being Miss Iowa is the perfect fit for me, and I feel so blessed to be surrounded by people who have encouraged me every step of the way. Giving a voice to my platform, Overcoming Disabilities, is a tremendous honor, and I am thrilled to continue my adventure by speaking out and touching lives as Miss Iowa 2013.”
凯莉在“遇见爱荷华小姐”的传记主页上写道：“一年前，我根本不会想到自己的未来和‘选美冠军’有什么联系，可能因为我最初就没想过这条路。但现在我知道，成为爱荷华小姐对于我来说是完美的组合，每走一步，周围都有许多人关照鼓励我，让我感到十分感恩。在舞台上发出自己的声音，克服身体残疾，对我来说都是莫大的荣耀。我非常高兴自己可以以2013年爱荷华小姐的身份继续前行，讲出心声，感动生命。”
The blond beauty, who lives in Keokuk, is no stranger to the stage. Kelly graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2017 with a degree in directing and theater management. In September 2017, she had an internship on Broadway with the Manhattan Theatre Club.
这位金发美女现居基奥卡克，她对舞台并不陌生。2017年凯莉从内布拉斯加州林肯大学毕业，获得导演和舞台管理学位。同年9月她从曼哈顿戏剧俱乐部获得了一份在百老汇的实习机会。
Kelly says theater was not only an outlet to help her express herself, but it eventually became her chosen career path.
凯莉说，戏剧不仅是她表达自我的渠道，还会是她最终选择的职业道路。
“As I grew older, I learned to offset the initial stares I received … with an outgoing personality that would not give in to ‘No,’ she writes. “This meant that I tried everything! From baseball, to dance to diving, there was nothing I would not try. I found my passion within a world where I was giving people permission to stare … the stage.”
她写道：“随着我渐渐长大，我学会了坦然对待他人投来的异样目光……我性格外向，从不说‘不’；我做过各种事情，从垒球到舞蹈到潜水，我都尝试过，在舞台上我找到了自己的热情，我可以坦然面对人们对我的注视。”