This 22-year-old has just made history as the first woman with Down syndrome to ever compete in the Miss Minnesota USA pageant.

When Mikayla Holmgren was born six-and-a-half weeks early, her parents were unsure about her future. Her parents told Fox 9: "At that point, we didn't know what life held for her."

Miss Minnesota USA will not be Mikayla's first pageant, but it is certainly important enough to make her future look even brighter.

Mikayla and her parents are both excited that she has been able to showcase her beauty to the world.

Denise Wallace, the Miss Minnesota executive director, said: "Anybody that even spends five minutes with her knows that she is the right person to be the first to represent a community of people that need to see themselves doing something like this."

Other than competing in pageants, Mikayla has taken gymnastics and danced for her entire life. And, like many people her age, she is enjoying herself while she attends college at Bethel University.

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