Riverview resident Hayley Franklin recently won the title of United States of America’s Ms. Gulf Coast 2024 and is excited to represent and compete in the national United States of America Pageant in San Antonio, Texas in July 2024. “Empower, Inspire and Uplift” is the motto for United States of America Pageants. Through philanthropy, hobbies, careers and platforms, each contestant strives to lift each other up and make a difference.
“My platform is Big Brothers Big Sisters and I’ve had a ‘little’ since she was 9 years old. She is now a Senior in high school,” said Franklin. “We’ve been through a little bit of everything together.”
Franklin isn’t just another pretty face. She was born and raised in Carrollton, Kentucky and was the youngest female elected-official in the State. Franklin has also tried out for Survivor, American Ninja Warrior and The Voice. In addition, she’s an ambassador for Salvation Army and part of the Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce. Her day job keeps her busy working as an account manager for Prolink Staffing, which helps companies decrease pain points by finding the right candidates.
No stranger to pageants, Franklin has been competing since early childhood.
“My mom put me in Little Miss Carroll County Fair in Kentucky and I won; I was hooked,” said Franklin. “Truthfully, I have lost more pageants than I have won. But those losses are what keep me coming back, what keeps pushing me to become a better human.”
The United States of America Pageant competition areas include interview, patriotic costume, swimsuit/fitness, evening gown, and onstage question for finalists. Franklin will be training five days a week for the physical fitness portion.
“I will also be attending every event that I can to help get my name/title out there and gain awareness for causes important to me,” said Franklin.
“I am excited about the interview segment to show the judges truly who I am and the state/region costume portion, where I actually need readers’ help,” said Franklin. “If anyone reading this has ideas for how I can properly showcase the Gulf Coast or Florida as a whole, please reach out to me and give me your ideas. It needs to be something unique and outlandish.”
If you’d like to message Franklin or follow along on her journey, you can find her on Instagram @hayleyfranklin and at her titleholder Instagram @usoamsgulfcoast. For more pageant information, visit https://www.unitedstatesofamericapageants.com/ and the Instagram @unitedstatesofamericapageants. In addition, if you would like for Franklin to be a guest at a community event or do a meet and greet, reach out to her at https://linktr.ee/hayleyfranklin7.
