Richland High grad crowned the new Miss Tri-Cities. She’s off to become a WSU Cougar

A four-hour surgery at 14 gave the newly crowned Miss Tri-Cities Noël Anderson 2 more inches to her height.

The 2019 Richland High graduate was diagnosed with scoliosis at 11. Several years later she had two rods and 19 screws implanted in her back to straighten her spine at Shriner’s Hospitals for Children in Spokane.

Scoliosis is a deformity of the the spine that creates a curve — often associated with a growth spurt just before puberty.

Anderson was crowned Miss Tri-Cities 2022 over the weekend. She also was the Miss Tri-Cities Outstanding Teen in 2018.

During her tenure as Miss Tri-Cities, Anderson plans on raising money to donate directly to the children’s hospital as well as raise awareness about what Shriner’s offers.

“I’m very thankful for the surgery — that’s why I’m so passionate about helping the hospital,” Anderson said.

The nearest Shriner’s hospital to Tri-Cities is in Spokane but there is a Shriner’s outreach office in the Tri-Cities. She spent five years after the surgery going to the Spokane hospital for follow-up treatment.

The rods and screws remain but she has soared to new heights in many ways as she has competed in numerous competitions.

Anderson first competed in the Miss Tri-Cities scholarship program five years ago, and said she fell in love with the opportunities — having an outlet to perform singing, making new friends, mentoring and doing speaking engagements.

She knows how demanding the position will be and said that even though she is headed off to Pullman to study at Washington State University in the fall she will be making plenty of trips back home.

“I’m fully committed to coming home. I understand how demanding the job is,” Anderson said.

Anderson just wrapped up a two-year general education degree at Columbia Basin College in Pasco. She is transferring to WSU to study Spanish and become certified in secondary elementary education with the goal of teaching high school.

“Most of my college career has been online. I’m so excited to be back in the classroom,” she said.

While she heads off to get her first apartment in Pullman, her heart will remain in the Tri-Cities.

“I truly loved growing up in Tri-Cities,” Anderson said. “I’m very excited to serve the community — it’s been a long time coming.”