WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — Warner Robins native and Miss Georgia winner Kelsey Hollis looks to be crowned Miss America this Thursday.
On the first night of the competition, Hollis won a social impact scholarship for her advocacy of autism awareness.
Hollis says she has an older brother with autism, so this year, she decided to create an education initiative for students in Georgia to better understand autism.
The A-Cubed initiative is three steps:
- Awareness
- Acceptance
- Advocacy
"I've been able to teach this now at 15 schools within the state of Georgia. I am hoping to actually make that a national thing. I am hoping to actually make that an official curriculum," Hollis said.
Hollis' older brother Jeremy was diagnosed with autism at age 5. He inspired her to launch a nonprofit in 2014. It's called TAABS, standing for "Teaching Autism Awareness By Siblings."
"We're 22 months apart and so I feel like I kind of got to see the progression of his autism as we got older. It kind of prompted me to understand the need to educate people, not only on what autism is, but also ways to create those cohesive environments for everyone to feel comfortable," Hollis said.
Hollis was raised in Warner Robins, graduated from Houston County High School in 2017, and now attends the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
She won Miss Georgia's Outstanding Teen in 2016 and finished as the second runner-up at the Miss America's Outstanding Teen Competition, and this past June, she won the Miss Georgia crown, putting her in the running for Miss America.
"Understanding how many people really are paying attention to you, not from a standpoint of judgment, but from a standpoint of adoration," Hollis said.
Rodney Johnson has worked as Hollis' pageant coach for close to 10 years.
"There's so many people who are outreaching and pouring like, 'Hey, that's our girl. Everybody feels like they have a piece of her and know her because they love her to death," Johnson said.
Hollis is the third-ever Black winner of the Miss Georgia competition.
"It's going to do a lot for young ladies that's here in the middle Georgia area. It's going to give them that belief within themselves. Like that song says, 'I didn't know my own strength.' If you try, maybe you can be Miss America just like Kelsey. I know she's going to win it!" Johnson said.
Thursday marks the final day of the contest. You can cheer Kelsey on starting at 8 p.m. The program is only available to stream on Pageants Live and on their app.
Rigby's Entertainment Complex in Warner Robins will also be hosting a watch party. You can see the crowning on the big screen at the patio.
The party starts at 7 p.m.