Chynah Thompson to represent MSU at Mountain Laurel Festival 

Morehead State University student Chynah Thompson will represent MSU as a queen candidate at the 2023 Kentucky Mountain Laurel Festival.  

Thompson, a junior from Salt Lick, is majoring in early elementary education. She is the daughter of Rachelle & Timothy Thompson. Her fiancé, Lance Corporal Ryan Walters, will escort her to the festival.  

Upon graduation, she hopes to remain in the Eastern Kentucky region and make a difference in students' lives.  

"I am extremely honored to represent MSU at the festival. It's not only an opportunity to share my love for MSU but to connect with our region. To say I'm excited is an understatement." Thompson said.  

Thompson is an active member of the Eagle community at MSU. She was named a Herron Scholar and is secretary of the Herron Leadership Organization. She is also a treasurer of the Kentucky Education Association for Aspiring Educators (KEA-AE) and a member of Kappa Delta Sorority and serves as vice president of inclusion.  

In 2021, she was crowned Miss Bath County and later competed in the Miss Kentucky Scholarship Pageant, where she placed in the Top 11 finalists and was selected as Kentucky's Choice.  

The Kentucky Mountain Laurel Festival has been held each year since 1931. Colleges and universities from Kentucky select one representative to participate in the festival's pageant, which is held annually over Memorial Day weekend. The participating candidates attend various festival events held in Pineville, Kentucky.  

The tradition of crowning the Mountain Laurel Queen occurs on Saturday, May 27, at Pine Mountain State Resort Park.  

For more information about the Kentucky Mountain Laurel Festival, visit www.KMLF.org.