Miss South Dakota to Present Her Story of Mental Health Struggles and Recovery
O’Neill, a Groton, South Dakota native, suffered from mental health issues, including an eating disorder while in high school. Her experiences inspired her to create a useful and practical guide to regaining and maintaining a healthy attitude and lifestyle. Her recovery guide has a dual design and can be applicable to both young children as well as older adolescents and young adults.
A graduate of Minnesota State University, O’Neil currently resides in Sioux Falls and is partnering with the South Dakota Department of Health and the USD School of Health Sciences in order to enrich her presentation and guidance program with the professional expertise of each institution.
O’Neill will compete in the Miss America pageant in December in Connecticut. She has been involved in creative dance since she was young, and she aspires to a career as a professional dancer.
The program is free and open to the public.
