Klondike High School senior Neihmaya Howard, 17, never thought she would ever enter into a pageant, much less win it.In her first pageant, she captured the top honor of being crowned 2022 Miss Merry Christmas Saturday afternoon in the Lamesa High School auditorium.“It was the experience of a lifetime,” Howard said. “I genuinely did not think I would win. There were such great competitors.”It was the chance to earn a $1,000 college scholarship that prompted Howard to enter into the contest. She plans to attend Texas Tech University to study food science.“Because it was a such a good scholarship opportunity,”