Miss Utah 2015, Krissia Beatty, is a walking miracle. Literally.

You see, when Krissia was 2 years old, doctors informed her parents that she had spina bifida occult – which is a gap in your spine. Because doctors weren’t all that informed about the disease back when Krissia was born, they didn’t give much hope to her parents.

From Today.com, “Basically, they just handed me to my parents and said, ‘Here’s your daughter. Here’s a wheelchair. And that’s all we can do,'”

But Krissia defied the odds against her and learned to walk. Heck – more than walk, Krissia joined the Track Team at her high school! From the same article, “Running causes me pain but it’s not so intense that I can’t do it. I just ran track to prove I could overcome this.”

And on her 3rd attempt at the Miss Utah crown, Krissia was able to walk (and run) across the famous Miss America stage in Atlantic City. See? Walking Miracle. 🙂

This year, Krissia has promoted her platform of “Live Well” cross the state of Utah – advocating for people to eat well, feel well, move well, and be well. Very fitting, considering how “well” she performed in Atlantic City and during her year in her home state.

We have an upcoming podcast with Krissia to be released in the near future – She’s FABULOUS and I can’t wait to post it!  Be sure to follow along with all our podcasts (released every Tuesday) to her amazing stories from young women in the Miss America Organization.

All the best Krissia! Junkies think you’re pretty awesome and we know with a background like yours, nothing can stop you!

And now, out of 50 contestants, who do Junkies think has the best shot at being named Miss Utah 2016???  Good Question…

You can check out our Top 5 list when you become a Premium Junkie… Learn more at this link here…

GOOD LUCK LADIES!!! Junkies Love Utah!!!

#BigJunkieLove

Carrie Lakey

McKensie Garber, Miss Missouri 2015, instantly won us over when we heard her say the following phrase on her podcast (which you can catch right here…)

“The heartbeat of my year as Miss Missouri is my platform, which is Character Plus… I’m speaking to students about the importance of making good choices all the time, even when no one’s looking, in order to live a life of integrity and to be truly happy, healthy and successful.”

McKenzie’s comments should remind everyone that Platforms are not “superfluous” in the least. Rather, your Platform is an amazing opportunity to reach people all over your state, not just about something that’s important to you – But about something that’s important to THEM!

In addition to McKenzie’s inspiring platform, her story of how she came to become Miss Missouri’s Outstanding Teen and then Miss Missouri, is worth the listen as well! Considering she’s from a town of 419 people, she proves there’s great value in following your dreams as hard and as fast as you can!

Junkies know McKensie has a bright future ahead of her, and that students all across the state of Missouri have a brighter future ahead of them – because of her inspiring words about developing their character.  THANK YOU McKENSIE for all your hard work this year!!! It’s been a pleasure watching you “do your thang” – Junkies Love You!!! 🙂

And now, who do we think has the best opportunity to be named Miss Missouri 2016?

Dang! That’s a GREAT question! We’ve done our best to narrow it down to the Top 5 – Which you can see when you become a Premium Junkie.  Learn more here…

GOOD LUCK LADIES!!! Junkies Love Missouri!!! 🙂

#BigJunkieLove

Carrie Lakey

She was Miss South Dakota’s Outstanding Teen in 2007. Then, her first year in the Miss division, she finished as the 4th Runner Up.  From there, Autumn went on to be named the 2nd Runner Up for 3 years in a row.  Yes… Three years – finishing in the exact same spot.

But on her 5th attempt at the title, Autumn was finally named Miss South Dakota 2016.

Autumn talks about the ups and downs of her pageant journey during our podcast with her (listen here)… Autumn’s interview resonated with a great deal of people in the Junkie Nation because she was so incredibly honest about her past (overcoming sexual abuse from age 6), and talked about how she became rejuvenated after re-directing her Veterans-based platform: The 5 Stars for Serving Those Who Served.

And just for the record, Miss South Dakota is held in the town of Hot Springs… Which also happens to be Autumn’s hometown – AND – Home to the Miss South Dakota pageant for SEVENTY YEARS! Yes! South Dakota currently holds the record for a Miss America state contest that has been held in the same city for the longest amount of time!

Having previously attended the Miss South Dakota pageant, I can tell you – The entire community of Hot Springs makes each and every contestant feel like a “hometown girl”. It’s a pretty special place indeed. 🙂

Congratulations Autumn! Junkies are amazed by your story of persistence and your ability to overcome incredible challenges in  your life. Those character traits will never return void – And may also be the catalyst for another young lady growing up in Hot Springs, South Dakota today.

And now, who do we think has the best chance at being named Miss South Dakota 2016???

You can see our Top 5 predictions when you become a Premium Junkie… Find out more when you click here…

GOOD LUCK LADIES!!! Junkies will ALWAYS LOVE South Dakota!!!

#BigJunkieLove

Carrie Lakey

I mean, let’s be honest… Tennessee is one of those states that takes pageantry pretty seriously. So, when someone comes along who “breaks the mold” and is successful in pageants – people pay attention!

Hannah Robison, Miss Tennessee 2015, was the first Miss Tennessee in 7 years who isn’t blond – and the first in 14 years who isn’t a vocalist.

And even though many might’ve said the odds were against her, Hannah stayed true to herself and “did her thing” by remaining a brunette and playing the piano. And guess what happened???

Hannah become one of the “most decorated” Miss Tennessee winners in history… Earning the People’s Choice Award, a $5000 STEM scholarship, 1st Runner Up for the Miss America Quality of Life Award, and of course, finishing in the Top 7 at Miss America last September. All in all, Hannah has earned more than $46,000 in scholarships though the Miss America program – all while being a brunette and a piano player.

Yes – Hannah is a wonderful example of how embracing and accepting yourself is the first thing one needs to do when entering a pageant. Others tried to persuade her to take a different route (as you can hear on her podcast at this link), but she refused.   And boy did it pay off!

Hannah’s also had an incredible year as Governor Haslam’s Official Spokesperson for Character Education. This year, she traveled over 80,000 miles speaking to 50,000 schoolchildren about the Character Education Trait of Responsibility.

Not to mention all the work she’s done for her platform, Campaign Against Pain: raising thousands of dollars for Arthritis relief.

Yes – Hannah will long be remembered as a Miss Tennessee who achieved great success not by following a formula, but by being herself. A wonderful reminder to us all.

And now – who do Junkies think will win the title of Miss Tennessee 2016?

Dear Lord – If I only knew the answer to that question!

Even if I don’t know for sure, we’ve still made our Top 5 picks… You can see them when you become a Premium Junkie.  Learn more at this link here…

GOOD LUCK LADIES!!!  Junkies LOVE Tennessee!!!

#BigJunkieLove

Carrie Lakey

Dancer. Speaker. Advocate. Teacher.

Rachel Latuff, Miss Minnesota 2015 is a multifaceted state titleholder who knew how to remain true to herself in order to make her way to Miss America.  That’s why she chose to perform a ribbon dance for her Talent in Atlantic City.

As an advocate for the #BluePinky campaign, Rachel spoke to thousands of students, reminding them to stand up and stop bullying.  It’s always inspiring to see how titleholders affect students during their year – and seeing so many folks post photos of their “blue pinky” on social media was evidence of Rachel’s impact.

And as an Art Teacher in rural Minnesota, Rachel challenged her students to pursue their dreams – regardless of whatever shape or form they come in.

During Rachel’s podcast, she shared very openly about what it’s like to do everything you can to reach a goal, only to fall short (catch the whole thing here). Despite her disappointment, Rachel went on to show everyone in Minnesota that your placement at Miss America has NOTHING to do with how well your state will remember your year of service!  And that’s a great reminder to all titleholders within the Miss America system 🙂

Junkies wish Rachel and her fiancee all the best as they prepare their new life together!  We know great things are ahead in your future – and we can’t wait to see how you continue to influence young minds in positive, artistic ways for years to come!

And now, who do we think has the best chance to be named Miss Minnesota 2016?

You can find out who our we’ve picked to make the Top 5 at Miss Minnesota when you become a Premium Junkie. Learn more at this link here…

Otherwise – Having been to the Miss Minnesota pageant, we know there’s quite a competition in that state this year! It’s going to be a fight to the finish – and we want to wish ALL the contestants GOOD LUCK!!!

Don’t forget ladies – If we say your name, we hope you prove us right! And if we don’t say your name, WE HOPE YOU PROVE US WRONG!

Can’t wait to see who becomes Miss Minnesota 2016!!!

#BigJunkieLove

Carrie Lakey