A moment six tries in the making.
First, she was crowned “Miss Arizona,” now Katelyn Niemiec is competing for the title of “Miss America".
“The driving force of why I'm here and why I love to do what I do is just knowing the kind of impact I can have on people in our communities,” Niemiec told ABC15 Mornings Anchor Danielle Lerner.
The two spent some time together while Niemiec was volunteering at ASU Police Department’s Special Victims Unit, working to revamp the space for victims who need help.
“We're painting the walls, we're bringing in some pretty furniture, some art,” she said, “just to make it feel a little bit more like home instead of a police department.”
The Arizona native and proud Sun Devil hopes to showcase what our state has to offer while shedding light on a platform close to heart. A program she created called “Bullying S.T.O.P.S. Here.”
“It truly shows the poly-victimization that comes out when someone's a victim of child abuse or domestic violence, how susceptible they are to being a victim of bullying,” said Niemiec.
However, even if her Miss America dreams don’t come true, Niemiec says there is still plenty of work to be done right here at home.
“I’ll be going and speaking with schools, I'll be working with our local police departments, I'll be working with non-profit organizations to just better serve people in Arizona,” she said.
