Miss for America competitor from Spokane finds peace and strength amid family tragedy

A family tragedy brought new meaning to the Miss for America pageant last weekend in Las Vegas for Kieran Reynolds, the Spokane woman representing Washington.
Before Reynolds left for the competition last week, she got the news that her grandmother had been hit and killed by a semitruck.
“It was really hard, during that time, to decide if I should go and do this with this devastating event that had happened,” Reynolds said.
Her grandmother, Joy Behi, 76, had a major influence on Reynolds growing up.
“I grew up in a household full of teachers,” Reynolds said. “For us, vanity was a topic of discussion and therefore we stayed clear of any sort of image that might be perceived as that.”
This upbringing away from pageantry made Reynolds concerned her family might not be supportive of her competing in pageants, she said.
After she began getting involved in the pageantry system, they were supportive of the advocacy and volunteer work she began doing, Reynolds said.
Her family always told her they wanted her to “learn, grow, and treat people with love,” she said.
Reynolds was crowned Miss Congeniality by a vote of her fellow competitors – something she said would have made her grandmother proud.
“To go and then actually come out of it with an award that she would find to be the most rewarding and the best, more than winning the crown … it left me feeling ecstatic and at peace,” Reynolds said.
While Reynolds didn’t win the national title, she “stayed true to herself” and is excited to finish out her time as Miss Washington for America.
“I felt like I came out a winner and I’m excited to continue helping women and helping my community find things in themselves that they can contribute that are positive,” she said.