From classroom to crown

VIROQUA, Wis. — Standing on stage at the Franklin Event Center, Olivia Lulich found herself in a similar headspace she had been in several times before. Did she do enough? Had she prepared well enough? How were the judges scoring that day?

Lessons she learned in the show ring at county fairs played in her head as she awaited the announcement of the 2026 Miss Wisconsin USA. Her worries were set aside when she was named the winner.

“It was a very similar feeling to showing cattle,” Lulich said. “You never know what the judges are thinking that day. It’s been a dream of mine to be Miss Wisconsin USA and to go to the Miss USA competition for 18 years. It’s exciting and very humbling.”

Lulich is an agriculture education teacher and FFA advisor at Viroqua Area Schools in Vernon County, Wisconsin. She grew up in agriculture, raising and showing beef cattle and market sheep, and often visiting her grandparents’ dairy farms.

Agriculture served as her platform as she became the state’s representative for Miss USA. Lulich hopes to promote agricultural awareness to a public growing more distant from the farm.

“I spent a lot of my summers milking cows, taking care of calves; that’s really what instilled this love and passion for agriculture at such a young age,” Lulich said. “Those roots in the industry and 4-H and FFA, I really fell in love with it.”

As an agriculture education teacher, Lulich has taken an active role in helping youth learn about and understand agriculture. She hopes to expand her reach nationally, and even globally, through social media.

“People are four to five generations removed from the farm,” Lulich said. “Farmers and agriculturalists (need) to share our mission and what we do.”

With social media presence on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, Lulich hopes to use these mediums as she continues to be an advocate for agriculture in and out of the classroom. Lulich said the title has thousands of followers worldwide.

“Social media has been the biggest key to being Miss Wisconsin USA,” Lulich said. “That’s something we can continue to see really growing and expanding. We’re launching an Ag Fact Friday campaign as a way to promote agriculture in a light that impacts people all across social media.”

Lulich earned her bachelor’s degree in agriculture education at Iowa State University. She recently concluded her second year as the agriculture education teacher and FFA advisor at Viroqua.

“I wanted to be an agriculture teacher because I want to continue to inspire that next generation of leaders to fall in love with the industry that I did, the industry that raised me,” Lulich said. “That’s exactly what I get to do in Viroqua. Now as Miss Wisconsin USA, I can continue to take those agricultural roots and spread that message with everyone across the United States.”

Lulich cites her success in public speaking to a lifetime of pageant competitions, having competed since she was 5 years old.

“My mom put me in pageants when I was young because I was so shy,” Lulich said. “From there I caught that competitive bug. I’ve met some super amazing friends along the way, and I’m still focused on developing that public speaking skillset, how to present myself in front of the public and being OK with being judged by others.”

After earning the title, Lulich returned to Viroqua as the school year wound down. Her FFA officer team took a page out of Lulich’s book, speaking in front of the school at an end-of-the-year assembly to introduce her as the new Miss Wisconsin USA.

Lulich visited all the schools in the district during the final day of instruction.

“My administration and superintendent were super excited for me,” Lulich said. “It was super fun to get to visit all the schools, getting to talk about what this opportunity looks like, how it can impact them, and just put it in perspective for students, that you can still go for your dreams and chase your goals even after high school.”

This summer, Lulich will wear the crown and sash to several events as she prepares for the nationally televised Miss USA pageant that will be held in August in Miami, Florida.