Miss America winner credited father’s prep with victory

Regan Hutsell of Texas won the Miss America title on September 6, becoming the first Miss Texas to win in over fifty years and the first woman of color to win while wearing her natural hair.

Hutsell shared that her father greatly assisted her preparation for the interview portion of the competition. He sent her daily questions about current events, compiling them into a binder for study.

Hutsell’s father found inspiration in a Business Insider article about former Miss America Abbie Stockard, who prepared for her competition by creating a binder of 150 political and current event topics. Stockard approached preparation like studying for an exam, leveraging her background as a nursing student. Hutsell also combined studying with physical activity, watching cable news while walking on a treadmill at Planet Fitness.

Beyond her father’s help, Hutsell received coaching from her sister, a former dancer with the New York City Ballet, for the talent portion of the pageant. The 25-year-old had put pageant dreams on hold while pursuing a dance career with the Radio City Rockettes and the Birmingham Royal Ballet, but returned to them after recovering from knee injuries and while helping care for her grandfather, who has late-stage dementia.

Hutsell plans to use the nearly $90,000 in scholarship money she won to pursue a degree in health sciences and become a physical therapist.