Amy Bohlen of Albert Lea is a finalist for the Miss Minnesota USA pageant. Bohlen, 23, said modeling is a good experience to build confidence. Elena Schewe/Austin Daily Herald

Miss Minnesota USA has hand picked a born-and-raised Albert Lea resident to participate in the selection of Miss Minnesota USA 2016.

Twenty-three-year-old Amy Bohlen was chosen for the second time for the chance to be regarded as Minnesota’s one and only young adult, female representative.

Bohlen will compete to earn this title on Nov. 28 and 29 at the Burnsville Center.

The Miss Minnesota USA pageant judges will score Bohlen in categories including an interview, evening wear, swimwear and more.

Although Bohlen does not have an exact number on how many other contestants there will be, she has an idea from her performance in the competition last year. There were about 300 applicants who tried out and applied to be a participant in the pageant in which Bohlen was one of the 30 chosen.

Bohlen was inspired to apply for the event due to her past and on-going experience in modeling.

She has been modeling ever since her sister encouraged her to try out at an Audition America mall competition. When Bohlen won, she took up a one-year contract with a modeling agency. When the year was over, Bohlen kept modeling. She has recently been signed up with Privileged Model Management.

“I didn’t think that I would be in front of thousands of people,” Bohlen said. “It’s dreamlike. Go for it; it’s a good experience. Believe and push for your dreams.”

Bohlen said it was the people around her — especially her mom — who pushed her to become a model and go for her aspirations.

“I think it makes you become more of a people person,” Bohlen said. “You experience all different kinds of people. You’re more confident.”

While Bohlen prepares and waits for the upcoming competition, she will put her efforts into her two jobs as a waitress at B&B Cafe and a hairstylist at Dinah’s Style.

Also, she is creating and setting up a Go Fund Me account in which she can raise money toward her competition necessities.

Through all the challenges of the future year, Bohlen said that she will follow one of her favorite sayings, “Be confidently beautiful.”