When people hear the title "Miss West Virginia," they often think: a crown, a sash, and a stage.

The reality of the job looked a little different.

While continuing to work full-time as a Media Specialist at BlaineTurner Advertising, I had the privilege of serving as the 80th Miss West Virginia, a role that took me across the state and beyond. As part of the Miss America Opportunity, the nation's largest provider of scholarships for women, this experience challenged me to grow as a leader, advocate, and professional while serving communities across West Virginia. 

During my year of service, I:

• Traveled 32,000+ miles
• Completed 225+ appearances
• Visited all 55 West Virginia counties
• Reached communities across eight states
• Met with students from 34 schools

To me, being Miss West Virginia meant spending a year getting to know West Virginia in a way few people ever have the opportunity to. It meant driving thousands of miles on winding country roads, investing time and energy into our state, walking into rooms full of strangers and leaving with new friends. 

It also meant carrying a platform that was deeply personal to me. Through my community service initiative, Connecting With Cardio, I shared my family's experience with heart disease after my mother's heart attack at just 41 years old. What began as a mission to raise awareness about heart health became a way to connect with people across generations and communities.

As a self-taught hula hooper since the age of 7 and the first hula hooper to compete in the talent competition at Miss America, I paired my talent with my community service initiative, Connecting With Cardio, to create a memorable way to educate others about heart health. 

Whether I was teaching students in a school gymnasium, leading activities at a community event, or speaking with families at festivals, hula hooping became a way to demonstrate that physical activity can be fun while opening the door to important conversations about prevention and wellness. Heart disease remains the leading cause of death for both men and women, yet many cases are preventable through healthy lifestyle choices. If a hula hoop could help someone remember that message, then it was doing exactly what I hoped it would.

Throughout the year, I made it a goal not to simply pass through West Virginia, but to truly experience it. I wanted to meet people in communities where Miss West Virginia may have never been before and better understand the people who call the Mountain State home.

My favorite memories didn't happen under bright lights or in front of a crowd. They happened while teaching students how to hula hoop during school visits, spending time at assisted living facilities and animal shelters, talking with heart disease survivors, volunteering alongside local organizations, and listening to the stories of people who simply wanted someone to hear them.

The title gave me a platform, but the people I met throughout the year gave that platform purpose.

Over the course of the year, children often asked me if I was famous, lived in a castle, was a real queen or was rich. While those questions always made me smile, they served as a reminder of what this role truly represents. I wasn't there to be a “celebrity.” I was there to make a difference.

The crown doesn't make you someone special. The dedication and commitment to service that earn it do.

That is what being Miss West Virginia 2025 means to me.