Perception as key as poise as Hoover alum preps for Miss America pageant

Getting ready for the Miss America Competition requires a lot of hard work — but not only the work most people associate with the pageant world.

While dress fittings, hair appointments, photo shoots and fitness regimens – as well as practicing her vocal skills — are part of the job for 2011 Hoover High School graduate Briana Kinsey, she will also be working to stay up to date on world news and events and forming opinions about major issues.

Kinsey was crowned Miss District of Columbia earlier this year, and this month will compete for the title of Miss America.

The two-week competition in Atlantic City will be the culmination of not only a months-long effort on Kinsey’s part, Miss D.C. executive director Tricia Lloyd said, but one of Kinsey’s entire life.

“Her real preparation is her life experience,” Lloyd said. “Briana has just been preparing her own self.”

The Hoover native graduated from the University of Alabama in 2015, after studying biology and pre-medicine. Since, she’s taken classes at American University in Washington D.C., and has been working full time at a D.C. eyewear consultant location.

Kinsey, 24, said she decided to audition in January for Miss D.C. in order to take one more shot at Miss America, as she had only one more year of eligibility.

Once selected, she said the typical pageant training began in haste, but while the work was hard, she was thrilled.

“I was just really excited because this was my last opportunity to go to Miss America,” she said.

Since winning Miss D.C. in June, Kinsey and the other Miss America contestants have gone through the competition’s orientation process, which she said explains not only the two-week pageant process, but what they should expect from the job should they win the crown.

Kinsey’s platform is connected to the nonprofit she founded, Daring to Defeat Diabetes, which works to educate the public about both Type-1 and Type-2 diabetes, and the effort that won her the Miss America Community Service Award in addition to her Miss D.C. title.

Kinsey said she started the organization after watching her mom battle diabetes, and that it has inspired her to become a pediatric endocrinologist to one day help kids fighting the disease.

Pageant Prep

Preparing to appear onstage in clothes ranging from evening gowns to swimsuits means Kinsey has been especially conscious of making healthy choices.

“It’s really about making lifestyle changes and making them stick,” she said.

This has meant focusing on a high-protein and vegetable diet, she said, along with a lot of exercise.

But being someone who advocates for healthy living as part of her nonprofit work and platform, Kinsey said it has really become part of her job.

“I feel as if now I’m using my body as an example for the students and the civic organizations that I speak too, because if I can change my habits, they can too,” she said.

To make sure none are left out due to the high cost of evening wear and other required clothing, Miss America provides each contestant with an outfit allowance, and relies on sponsors to provide the most costly pieces.

Lloyd said that’s key to the Miss America process, because it allows the contestants to focus on personal growth and development rather than worrying about what they will wear.

The biggest part of the preparation, Lloyd said, is looking inward and focusing on character development.

“The type of women who are drawn to this competition, they’ve got a little bit [of] everything, and a whole lot inside,” she said.

Eye on the Prize

When the time comes for Kinsey’s trip to Atlantic City, Lloyd said the challenge of remaining mentally and emotionally present in the process becomes even more important.

“You can’t phone it in,” she said, “You actually have to go through the experience.”

The 2018 live broadcast of the Miss America competition will air Sept. 10 at 8 p.m., hosted by “The Bachelor” franchise’s Chris Harrison.

But those in the Hoover community looking to support Kinsey don’t have to wait until the night of, Lloyd said.

The “America’s Choice” award allows one contestant to automatically make the top 15, and is chosen based on votes from the public at missamerica.org/vote, with voting open until 8 p.m. on Sept. 5.

Kinsey also asked her hometown to consider making a donation to Children’s Miracle Network, the official charity of Miss America, in her honor.

Those looking to keep up with Kinsey as she prepares for the competition can follow her efforts on social media by following @MissAmericaDC on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.