The iconic Sample Gates are a familiar Indiana University landmark for many Kelley School students
Kate Dimmett’s Journey From Indiana’s Kelley School To The Miss America Stage
What do business school, a violin and the Miss America stage have in common? They are all key elements of Kate Dimmett’s story.
A student from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, Dimmett recently stepped onto the Miss America stage as Miss Illinois 2026. Surprisingly, she wasn’t the only 2026 Miss America contestant with a business-school background. Jaselyn Rossman, a 2026 graduate of Oklahoma State University’s Spears School of Business, was also on stage.
Dimmett won the title of second runner-up this year, and she shared her story with author Hannah Carroll in a piece published by the Kelley School of Business. She explains how she brought together these seemingly separate pieces of her life: the business skills she developed at Kelley, the music education nonprofit she has spent a decade building, and the violin she has played since she was 3.
As Miss Illinois, Kate Dimmett spends much of her time building relationships, developing partnerships, and advocating for music education.
“A lot of it actually feels similar to sales,” she told Kelley. “You reach out to people, build relationships, find shared goals, and figure out how you can work together.”
Her sales education also taught her to handle rejection. “I have no problem picking up the phone or sending a cold message because sales taught me that not everyone is going to respond – and that is okay,” she said.
Marketing taught her to think about the person she is trying to reach, while Kelley taught her perhaps an even simpler lesson: listen first. “You have to understand where people are coming from before you can connect with them in the right way,” she says.
Kate Dimmett
TAKING MUSIC WITH HER
Dimmett started at Kelley thinking she might study finance and accounting. Instead, she found that marketing and professional sales better matched her interests in relationships, branding, fundraising, and partnerships.
“You do not have to arrive knowing exactly who you are or exactly what you want to do,” she said. “You have the opportunity to explore, change your mind, and figure out what fits you.”
She also didn’t want to leave music behind. At IU, she could major in business while taking violin lessons and performing through the Jacobs School of Music.
“You do not have to fit into one box,” she said. “You have the opportunity to explore different interests and build an experience around what matters to you.”
At age 13, Dimmett and her sister started Notable Measures, a nonprofit focused on expanding access to music education. Over the past decade, their org has raised nearly $100,000, awarded 180 grants across 22 states and reached more than 52,000 students.
“Kelley helped me understand how to grow that work – how to tell our story, raise funds, build partnerships, and connect people emotionally to the mission,” she said.
Her Kelley classes gave her the chance to apply business concepts in real-world settings, like working with real companies and presenting ideas to business professionals. “You are not just learning a concept and taking a test on it,” she said. “You have to communicate your thinking to people who actually do this work.”
Now, Dimmett says those lessons have shaped how she approaches both her work and success. “You do not have to be perfect to be successful,” she advises.
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