Miss Dothan USA wins Miss Alabama USA 2022

Katelyn Vinson, a student at Auburn University, has been crowned Miss Alabama USA 2022. Vinson, who competed as Miss Dothan USA, was crowned during a ceremony at the Gogue Performing Arts Center in Auburn on January 15, 2022. She bested 33 other women to succeed Miss Alabama USA 2021, Alexandria Flanigan and to represent The Yellowhammer State at the 2022 edition of Miss USA pageant later this year.

Vinson, who’s from Dothan, is a senior at Auburn with a major in business administration. Katelyn has a deep passion and natural ear for music. She hopes to one day become an artists and repertoire representative for a Christian record label. This goal would allow her to combine her love of music with the many different aspects of the business environment, including finance, accounting, and management she has learned during her time at Auburn. Her ultimate desire is to make others’ dreams a reality by scouting out developing artists and assisting them in the process of scoring a record deal.

The 21-year-old beauty queen “enjoys encouraging others to lead healthy and balanced lifestyles, offshore fishing with her family and playing the piano,” according to her bio for the pageant. Her favorite piece on the piano? “River Flows in You.”

Katelyn enjoys staying active, whether it is walking her dog Goose, taking a yoga class, or lifting weights at the gym. Using food as medicine has taught Katelyn the power of eating foods that nourish the body. She hopes to educate and inspire people of all ages to lead healthy, balanced lifestyles.

Additionally, she would like to bring awareness to the importance of “brain health” and how this can contribute towards erasing the stigma surrounding mental health.During an on-stage question segment for the top five finalists, Vinson was asked: “If you were governor for a day, what is the one thing you would change about Alabama and why?”

“I think people in Alabama can often struggle with accepting diversity,” she said. “Diversity is something that’s to be celebrated. It’s beautiful and I think that everyone in our country should celebrate all of us for our differences and our strengths and our weaknesses. And if we can just all learn to be introspective and really look inward, I think that we can find it in us to accept everyone for their own individual differences.”

Vinson is no stranger to the Miss Alabama USA pageant; she competed for the title in 2021 as Miss Dothan USA and was named third runner-up. “Miss Alabama USA is in less than a month, and my heart is beaming with excitement and gratitude as I reflect on how much I’ve grown since last year,” Vinson said in a December post on Facebook. “I have learned that winning doesn’t always equal a crown and a banner, or whatever it is we had worked so hard to achieve. The real win is the growth that occurs throughout the journey. It’s the faith and mental toughness that’s cultivated through overcoming trials and setbacks. Oftentimes, when God plants a dream in our heart, Satan will do whatever it takes to stop us from going for it. He places little voices in our heads that tell us that we aren’t enough, that we aren’t worthy. YOU ARE worthy and beyond capable, no matter what lies you have been told. So pursue that dream, and trust that He will guide you, teach you, sustain you, and carry you to right where He has planned for you to be.”

The 2022 Miss Alabama USA’s court includes

1st runner-up – Noelia Voigt (Miss Camelia USA)

2nd runner-up – Harleigh Lantrip (Miss Hoover USA)

3rd runner-up – Natalie Lamm (Miss Auburn USA)

4th runner-up – Samantha Huver (Miss Northport USA)