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An Andalusia native is among the 40 contestants competing for the Miss Alabama crown.

Ella Kate Nichols, a 2021 graduate of Andalusia High School, and current student at Auburn University, earned a spot as a Miss Alabama contestant upon winning the crown as Miss Shelby County last summer.

The Miss Alabama Pageant will be held Saturday, June 29, at Samford University’s Wright Center in Birmingham. Nichols will perform “New York State of Mind” for the talent portion of the competition.

Nichols’ service initiative is one close to her heart, Buckets of Smiles: Advocating for Children with Cancer, a nonprofit she founded that delivers hospital-approved activity items to childhood cancer patients throughout the state. Through a Buckets of Smiles ambassador program, the initiative has spread to 21 states and Washington D.C.

Pursuing a degree in Human Development and Family Science, Nichols plans to sit for the Child Life Certification Exam and work in a children’s hospital as a child life specialist.

She said her bucket list for the next five years includes graduating college debt-free, expanding the Buckets of Smiles Ambassador Program to all 50 states, and receiving a Golden Ticket on “American Idol.”