First Mom to Win Miss USA Crown | Colorado Springs News

Justus Kelly just shattered pageant history—becoming the first Virginia-born Miss USA since 1970, and the very first mom and wife to ever win the crown, thanks to new eligibility rules that dropped marriage and child restrictions in 2023. At 31, she’s a foster parent, co-founder of Foster Footprints, and a senior philanthropy adviser at St. Jude—using her platform to spotlight foster youth. Her win marks a seismic shift from 1957, when Leona Gage was disqualified for being married with kids. Now, Kelly heads to Puerto Rico to compete for Miss Universe, proving pageants are evolving into more inclusive, real-world champions. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/b8e6cb65dd548564