To me, faith is being thankful when things in life are going well and also being thankful when they are not. Its often through our most difficult times when faith lifts us up and gives us the courage and the strength to work even harder to accomplish a new goal or do something we never thought we could.

Gratitude needs to come back in a big way and I hope to encourage people to get involved.

Being REAL means showing people who you are underneath all the TV make up too.

I never had becoming Miss America on my radar screen. But when I was 17, I decided to quit the violin and my parents were devastated.

There are no guarantees in life, but I believe faith provides all of us with a foundation to live the best lives possible - knowing that there is a higher being who loves us and will never leave us.

I'm a big believer in always challenging yourself and learning new skills.

My messaging is not just to empower women, it's actually more directed at men because I think it's important for the men on college campuses to hear a women's perspective on how you shouldn't behave in the workplace.