Bogalusa’s Kana Knight was crowned 2016 Rapides Parish Junior Miss Heart of the USA at the preliminary pageant, held in Pineville on Sept. 26.

With the crowning, Kana will next compete at the Miss Heart of the USA state pageant in Lafayette on Aug. 6, 2016. The winner of that pageant will receive a $1,000 scholarship and continue on to nationals to compete for $7,000 in scholarships.

Kana was previously awarded the 2015 River Parishes Miss Heart of the USA “Queen of Hearts” title in August 2014, for her work gathering over 2,300 food items for the St. Anthony of Padua Food Pantry in Luling.

Kana is the 10-year-old daughter of Thomas and Joanie Knight of Bogalusa. She is the granddaughter of Beverly Tynes of Bogalusa, Wilford and Peggy Magee of Pine, and Lavel and Tina Knight of Franklinton. She is the great-granddaughter of Louise and the late Grover Dedon, Christine Sticker of Franklinton and Dorothy and the late T.A. Tynes of Bogalusa.

Kana is in the fifth grade at Central Elementary School and strives to do her best to make good grades and watch over her little brother, T.K. Kana plans to become a neonatologist and would one day like to reign as Miss America. Kana loves to help others. Her biggest wish is to stomp out hunger, starting right here in Louisiana.

The Miss Heart of the USA pageant system began as a food drive for a rescue mission and grew into a national pageant program that has distributed more than 10 million non-perishable food items to nonprofit organizations across the country.

For more information about the pageant program, visit online at www.MissHeartoftheUSA.com. For information on sponsoring Kana in her upcoming state bid or to donate food for the current food drive, email her at kanaknight@gmail.com or visit her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/stompouthungerwithkk.