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South ��ֱ���� State University junior Malorie Thorson has been crowned the 72nd Princess Kay of the Milky Way at the Minnesota State Fair. She will serve as the official goodwill ambassador for the Minnesota dairy community for the next year, making public appearances to connect dairy producers with consumers. 

Candidates of the annual Princess Kay of the Milky Way contest are judged on their general knowledge of the dairy industry, communication skills and enthusiasm for dairy. Thorson, a dairy production student from Waverly, Minnesota, impressed the judges with her knowledge and passion for the dairy industry. 

Throughout her yearlong reign, Thorson will work to bring dairy to life through conversations, classroom visits and various speaking engagements about the nutritional benefits of dairy and dairy farmers’ continual commitment to environmental sustainability. 

Thorson’s first official duty as Princess Kay was to sit in a rotating cooler in the fair’s dairy building to have her likeness sculpted in a 90-pound block of butter. A Minnesota sculptor makes butter busts of all the princess finalists. 

Another finalist and the contest’s Miss Congeniality, Lauren Steffl, is an agricultural business major at SDSU. Originally from Sleepy Eye, Minnesota, Steffl competes on the SDSU Dairy Challenge Team and the Dairy Products Judging Team, along with taking part in multiple dairy manufacturing internships during her time with the program. 

The success of the of these young women is no surprise to SDSU faculty who have seen their commitment to the dairy industry. 

“We are proud to include Princess Kay of the Milky Way winner Malorie Thorson and finalist Lauren Steffl among our wonderful, hard-working students,” Londa Nwadike, David S. Thompson Department Head of Dairy and Food Science, said. “Our students do a great job of promoting the dairy industry, and to have them recognized for it is an incredible honor. 

Throughout the remainder of the fair, both Thorson and Steffl will make appearances near their butter sculptures. The completed butter sculptures and Thorson’s journey throughout the next year will be documented on the .