The new Miss Massachusetts is a pageant veteran, and has held multiple titles, but said the one she earned on June 22 is the best one yet.
Kiersten Khoury, Boston native and graduate of High Point University, bested a very talented and accomplished field of 24 women at the competition held at the Hanover Theatre in Worcester June 21 and 22.
When she learned that she had won the title, she said she was in a state of shock.
“Unbelievable shock. It was a surreal moment, but it was also one of the greatest feelings in the entire world, and something I’ve been waiting for for a long time.”
Khoury’s first title was a National American Miss Massachusetts Princess in 2008. She also held the national title of Miss American Co-Ed, in 2021.
But, the trip to Miss America is the one she wanted for a while.
“Today is the biggest highlight, because this has been my dream,” she said, shortly after her crowning.
Throughout the competition, Khoury said she was focused on each moment, but tried not to think too much about possibly winning.
“I always go into a competition not thinking about where I’ll place,” she said. “I know that pageants are based on opinions, and that makes me work harder. I enter every competition knowing that if I do my personal best, that’s all that matters. I am in competition with myself. This time around, I was nervous and excited, but I knew that I had put enough preparation into it, and I could rely on my training to succeed.”
As the field narrowed from 25 to 11 to 5, Khoury said she did start to get excited about the possibilities, but truthfully stayed humble.
“They called me last into the top 5, so I didn’t think that I was going to make it,” she said. “I think you could see it in my reaction. I was shocked. Once you get to the top 5, you can taste it, so for me it was perfecting every little moment, and truly showing the judges why I wanted it.”
Among her many plans for Massachusetts over the next year, Khoury will be promoting her Community Service Initiative, Check the Chicas, and created more awareness about breast cancer prevention and early detection.
“I, unfortunately, was robbed of a grandmother. She passed away at 34 years old, and I never got to meet her. For her I do that,” she said. “I would love to work with the school, Lindamood-Bell, which helped me with my dyslexia. They are a privately-funded school, now across the country, that helps children overcome dyslexia and other learning disabilities.”
Next January, Khoury has no small amount of ambition for what she wants to accomplish at Miss America 2025 in Orlando, Florida.
“I want to be the first Miss Massachusetts to become Miss America,” she said. “It is going to be a lot of work. It’s going to be every last blood, sweat and tear that I have, but I’m willing to give that. That is my dream. I want to represent Massachusetts to the best of my ability, and I want to be myself while I do that.”
To her 24 Miss Massachusetts sisters, she said, “I love you all.”
“Without the group of women that we have, I don’t think I’d be here today,” she added. “They have been so supported. We love each other. The reaction I felt from all of the women when I turned around and hugged them, that made all of this worth it.”
For more information, visit http://www.missmass.org.
New England Pageant News 