MoxieTalk with Kirt Jacobs #423/424: Morgan Romano & Madalyne Kinnet

Morgan Renee Romano was born in Johnstown, New York, on July 19, 1998. After completing high school, Romano moved to Columbia, South Carolina, to enroll in the University of South Carolina, graduating with a degree in chemical engineering in 2020. Romano had decided to relocate to the southern United States because she disliked the harsh winter weather in Upstate New York. Following her graduation, Romano relocated to Concord, North Carolina, where she began working as an application engineer for industrial equipment supplier RE Mason. Romano began competing in pageantry as a teenager in New York and was a runner-up at Miss New York's Outstanding Teen in high school, at her mother's encouragement. After relocating to South Carolina in 2016, Romano returned to pageantry, wanting to make more female friends as a female student in a male-dominated field. She later won the title of Miss Midlands and competed at Miss South Carolina three times and Miss South Carolina USA once without winning a championship. Romano began competing in North Carolina pageantry after relocating there in 2020 and was the second runner-up at Miss North Carolina USA 2021. Romano returned to the competition the following year. The final was held on January 29, 2022, where Romano again advanced to the top five, ultimately winning the title. Romano later crowned Jordyn McKey as her successor at Miss North Carolina USA 2023 on February 25, 2023. As Miss North Carolina USA, Romano represented North Carolina at Miss USA 2022. The competition was held on October 3, 2022, in Reno, Nevada. Romano was first runner-up, behind winner Miss Texas USA, R'Bonney Gabriel. During the competition, Romano promoted women in STEM fields. Due to pageant protocol, Gabriel could not continue her reign as Miss USA after winning Miss Universe 2022 in January 2023, and her Miss USA title was passed on to Romano. Romano has worked with the nonprofit Project Scientist and Smile Train during her reign as Miss USA.   --   Madalyne Kinnett is an American model and beauty queen from Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky. She was crowned Miss Kentucky USA on February 25, 2023, and will represent Kentucky at Reno, Nevada's Miss USA 2023 pageant. Kinnett, who is 5'9″ tall, is an alumna of Lexington Christian Academy and a graduate of the University of Kentucky, holding dual degrees in merchandising, apparel and textiles, and business marketing. She also possesses a sales certificate. Kinnett has a long-standing aspiration to participate in beauty pageants, having dreamt of being on the Miss USA stage from a young age. Her journey toward this goal began in earnest when the pageant owner reached out to her during her junior year of high school, inviting her to compete, an opportunity she embraced without hesitation​​​​​​. As of 2023, at 21 years old, Kinnett has already achieved a significant milestone in her pageantry career by winning the title of Miss Kentucky USA. This achievement marks an essential step in her journey within the world of beauty pageants and brings her closer to the national stage of Miss USA.​