Fifteen year old Katlyn Ziegler is thrilled to have the privilege of representing her great state as Miss Minnesota’s Outstanding Teen 2009. Katlyn has worn the crown just a few short months and already has begun to expand the reach of her platform beyond the area surrounding her hometown of Coon Rapids.

Katlyn’s platform, “Paws for Love,” has reinforced many of the lessons taught to her and her older brother, Alex, by their parents, John and Roberta. “Be willing to work hard for your dreams,” and “helping other people is important in life,” are the basis of what Katlyn and George spend several days each month doing. George is Katlyn’s Pembroke Welsh Corgi and he and Katlyn worked hard through six months of training to earn certification as a Therapy Dog and handler with Therapy Dog International (TDI). As a team they have spent the last several months visiting medical facilities to provide unconditional love to patients of all ages who need something to brighten their day. Petting, touching and interacting with dogs is clinically proven to lower blood pressure, relieve stress and ease depression. Just ask Katlyn about her experiences with Alzheimer’s patients, children in the hospital for surgery, and elderly nursing home residents. Her visits bring out a sparkle in a child’s eye and beaming smiles on the faces of everyone they meet. Katlyn shared some of her experiences in an article she submitted and had published in fourpoints Magazine.

Katlyn’s hard work and dedication are also evident in other areas of her life. She is ranked 17 in her freshmen class of over 600 students; her bowling team has placed in the top 3 teams in her league several times over the past six years; she is the wrestling manager for the high school team, and Katlyn was the 2005 Junior Princess and 2007 Teen Queen for the City of Coon Rapids.

Katlyn also finds many ways to serve her community and help others. As the official mascot for her City for the past two years Rockee the Raccoon has participated in many city events including parades, National Night Out, and the city’s recent 50th anniversary celebrations. Katlyn is also active with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, she volunteered to provide meals to the workers during the clean up after the 35W bridge collapse, and along with her family she is hosting a student from France for a month this summer.