Miss Kentucky Elle Smith was crowned Miss America 2021 on Monday night in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Felipe Espinal / Miss USA
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Felipe Espinal / Miss USA
Miss Kentucky Elle Smith was crowned Miss America 2021 on Monday night in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Felipe Espinal / Miss USA
Readers, meet your new Miss America.
Elle Smith exchanged for her Miss Kentucky belt after winning the pageant on Monday night and will be traveling to Israel to compete for the Miss Universe title in just a few weeks.
Louisville ABC branch WHAS11 – where Smith works as a multimedia journalist – reports that Smith is the second Miss Kentucky to become Miss USA. She is said to have shone in the swimsuit and evening gown competitions and drew “loud applause” from the audience for her thoughts on how businesses can be more eco-friendly.
Smith joined the station in October 2020 after graduating from the University of Kentucky with a bachelor’s degree in broadcasting journalism and a bachelor’s degree in political science, according to her. work history. She served as vice president of the school’s national association of black journalists, was a reporter and videographer for school publications, and held numerous journalism internships in Arkansas and Washington, DC.
NABJ and WHAS11 News are among those put on social network to celebrate Smith’s victory.
In one Interview with WHAS11 Last week, Smith said she had wanted to participate in beauty pageants since high school, but had to wait until she had a “big female job” to have enough money. The Miss Kentucky pageant she won in May was her first.
She talks about balancing her Miss Kentucky responsibilities with her full-time job and relationship.
For example, Smith said most of the sponsors involved in her contest are outside of the station’s viewing area to avoid conflicts of interest and dismissed the idea that competing in bikinis could damage her professional reputation. In fact, Smith credits the communication skills she relies on every day at work to have helped her stand out in the pageant world.
Smith said: “As a Miss America, her job is to connect with people. “She would be able to talk to a three-year-old, she could talk to a 90-year-old veteran or the CEO of a business, and we do that every day at work. You’re speaking with different personalities and meeting different people with different perspectives, and so I think that’s the important thing that I take from the work and then translate it for Miss Kentucky USA. I hope to be able to translate to Miss USA.”
I have the sweetest work family. This is my last day before entering the Miss America pageant and this is what I found on my desk this morning. Thank you @ WHAS11 I cannot thank you enough for all your support. pic.twitter.com/v0CxPy1Q4y
– Elle Smith (@ellesmithtv) November 16, 2021
As the winner of Miss America, Smith is expected to travel to Eilat, Israel to compete in the Miss Universe pageant on December 12. Organizers say the international pageant will take place. planned despite one contestant testing positive for COVID-19, CNN reported on Tuesday.
It is unclear if Smith will continue to work as a journalist, and she did not immediately respond to NPR’s request for comment. A recent profile of the University of Kentucky College of Information and Communication said that if Smith wins the Miss America title, she will move to Los Angeles on full salary to represent the nation for a year.
This story originally appeared on NS Morning version live blogs.
