More than Miss South Bend

"Pageant contestant" is a bit of a misnomer for Maci Tetrick, as the phrase doesn't quite encapsulate the breadth of who she is.

Sit and talk with her for five minutes and you'll discover that.

Because under the makeup, hairspray and other pageant regalia is a meteorologist, activist, sister, daughter and friend, titles that inform her actions on stage, in front of the camera and away from the lights.

Tetrick, who won the title of Miss South Bend last September, got her start in pageantry as a teenager, winning the title of Miss Hendricks County under the 4H Fair circuit in 2015.   

At the time, and in the years following, pageants were a fun hobby but ultimately low stakes      compared to school and other extracurriculars.

It wasn't until she was in college that Tetrick saw the benefits of competing. Pageantry eventually led her to realize what her passions were.

"It wasn't until a combination of 'okay, you need to pick something for this community service project' but also studying abroad in Australia, and I saw how sustainable they were and then how we are not sustainable here, and we're not taught that when we're in school, and that was kind of the solution of 'okay, well I want to teach people this and here's this platform to be able to do this.'"

That passion eventually transformed into "Sustainability Starts With Students", her social impact initiative. All contestants need one to compete.

It took Tetrick a few years to find it. The seeds, however, were planted early on.

"Growing up on my grandma's farm, I got to play with all her animals and she was such an inspiration," Tetrick said. "She was so patient around animals, she would talk to them, and she was just so quiet…I learned a lot from my gram, and learned to love animals. But I didn't realize that I could do anything to necessarily help them until teaching about sustainability."

It's evident in the way she speaks about sustainability that it isn't just a one-off spiel for competitions. Her love for the environment is seen in the way she lives, acts and serves her community.

This spring alone, Tetrick has spoken to around 600 students in schools across Michiana.

"Being able to know that Indiana's future, essentially, and, like, how green we are, how much of a force our state is. This is what I'm giving to them," she said.   

Her impact is seen in the cards received from the students, all of them hand-drawn and expressing gratitude for lessons learned in recycling, weather and treasuring the planet. 

The impact is not lost on her: the letters sit on a shelf beside her trophies and awards. 

Seeing science thrive in the Miss America organization is encouraging for her, too.

Miss America 2023, Grace Stanke, uses her platform for Clean Energy, Cleaner Future, debunking misconceptions about nuclear power.

Tetrick believes the organization is turning a new leaf, valuing women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) like never before.

"You're continuing to break barriers just being a woman in STEM, but especially in the pageant industry," she said.

Tetrick cherishes the ability to be that example for students, who are often told about these women but don't always get to see them firsthand.

Next on the agenda for Tetrick, besides daily duties as a meteorologist, is the competition for Miss Indiana, which starts in mid-June.

On May 11, she received a Michiana 40 Under 40 award, recognizing her career success and commitment to the Michiana community.

Tetrick was nominated by her friend Jenny Peterson, whom she serves with in the Tri Kappa philanthropic sorority.   

When asked why she nominated her, Peterson pointed to Maci's heart for her community.

"Despite the fact that you only came here a few years ago, you have just embraced it and made it your home and I think that shows through in all the things that you have done," Peterson told her.

Whether on stage or in person, it's her personality that stays the same wherever Tetrick goes.

"It's not a thing that, 'oh, I put on the crown and now it's time to be Miss South Bend or I'm in front of the camera, it's time to be meteorologist Maci,'" she said. "I'm just Maci and I'm proud of that."