Alleah Taylor
Greater King CountyAlleah Taylor was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. She is currently a Operational manager, Model and TVhost/Reporter. Alleah practices servant leadership and is diligent in her quest to revolutionize healthcare. Her goal is to empower youth and improve the way we view/demonstrate self-care, mental health and mindfulness. She hopes her journey inspires others to treat everyday as a blessing and as a opportunity to improve, progress and uplift.
Amber Bruce
West SeattleAmber is beyond excited to be competing for the opportunity of a lifetime. This 26 year old plus sized model is always a joy to be around. She advocates for body positivity and self love through the social media campaign #BeautyBeyondSize. Amber has taken her platform all over the United States. Being Miss Washington USA would allow Amber to continue to inspire and empower women on a broader scale through such a prestigious organization.
Angela Terek
AnacortesAngela was born amongst the evergreen trees of Washington. In 2012, she became a certified yoga teacher and in 2014 graduated as a Licensed Esthetician. She currently works at a Spa in Anacortes. Her ultimate dream is to become an Ayurvedic Doctor and open a healing retreat center. She is passionate about healthy living and animals rights. Angela hopes to become Miss Washington in order to give a voice to abused factory farmed animals.
Ashane Davis
CheneyAshane is a mentor for behaviorally challenged and developmentally delayed youth and a full-time student at Eastern Washington University was born on the 28th of June 1996 in Seattle, Washington. Ashane has a passion for working with children, dancing, singing. Ashane’s main goal is to inspire young ladies to do whatever their hearts desire and it starts with loving themselves. Ashane would like to thank her friends and family for all of their support.
Ashley McPoland
SnoqualmieAs an older sister of four girls, Ashley often finds herself falling into a position of leadership naturally. She aspires to encourage other young women to be confident in their individuality and uniqueness. Currently pursuing a degree in psychology nursing, Ashley hopes to work with those who have been affected by mental illness. Alongside this passion, she would love to use the Miss Washington USA title to spread the message that mental heath matters.
Brenna Pirozok
Greater SpokaneBrenna is a vibrant woman who serves as a Social Worker in Seattle. Her platform, Youth Advocacy, places a strong emphasis on the unconditional acceptance of all people groups and the collaboration of strong voices to end youth homelessness and stigmas surrounding mental health, advocate for those in the foster care system, and teach the value of understanding self- worth. Brenna hopes to bring policy change surrounding these topics to Washington State in her future.
Chael Stenchever
King CountyChael graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from Seattle Pacific University at 19. While working for the Seattle Mariners and Disneyland Resort, she developed a passion for customer service, and is now living her dream of traveling the world as a flight attendant for a major airline. She shares her love for health and fitness with others as a fitness instructor, and serves her community as a volunteer at Seattle Children’s Hospital.
Claire Pennington
VancouverGrowing up in the Pacific Northwest, Claire has a respect for the environment and an innate passion for protecting it through volunteer opportunities as well as grows her own food. Additionally, Claire is studying Hospitality Business Management at Washington State University and also works as a flight attendant for a major airline. Claire hopes to become a Commercial Airline Pilot and a staff member of the non-profit organization, Women in Aviation.
Emily Schneider
Lake WashingtonEmily graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University with a Bachelors in Aviation Business Management and currently works as a Systems Specialist for The Boeing Company. In addition to her love for aviation and travel, Emily is a competitive figure skater and plays rugby for Seattle. Being passionate about mental and physical health, Emily hopes to pave change around the attachments to technology and social media; specifically the resulting negative impacts on self-perception, self-confidence and self-worth that come with the unrealistic expectations set.
Evelyn Clark
Wahkiakum CountyAs someone who enjoys helping others, Evelyn works as a paralegal for a law firm in downtown Bellevue. When she isn’t helping serve the justice system, you can find Evelyn commercial fishing in Alaska with her family where she is an owner of a set net operation. From experiencing low self-esteem at a young age, Evelyn takes pride in being a role model for kids and has volunteered for multiple mentoring programs.
Gabriella Sturgill
South SeattleGabriella is a Seattle native and a University of Portland graduate, finishing a year and a half early with her BBA in Finance. Presently, she works as a Financial Advisor and is a part of a Women’s Resource Group that hosts financial literacy seminars for various diversity inclusion groups at companies like Amazon and Expedia. Gabriella loves to travel and has been to India and Thailand twice, and hopes to visit all 7 continents!
Ikran Mohamed
TukwilaIkran is the seventh child out of twelve kids. She came from a small village in Somalia. During a war in her native country, Ikran’s aunt sponsored the family to come to America to give them a better future. Ikran wants to give the refugee people in the United States an opportunity to get an education. Her goals include going to college and becoming a medical doctor and to give back and start a charity for people in poverty.
Imani Blackmon
University PlaceImani is a broadcast/journalism major whose career goal is to be a correspondent on a major entertainment news outlet. She hopes to use her voice and platform for those who feel their voices can not be heard. She now works with AfterBuzz TV as a host and at Disneyland Resort as a dancer part time. Imani takes pride in working with the non-profit organization Together We Rise, focusing on foster children.
Jesi Williams
MukilteoJesi is a business student at Capella university while working at a real estate firm. Her job allows her to help find housing for low income families while coordinating state funding to approve the process. This grew a passion inside her that led Jesi to work in the non-profit, Affordable Housing Connection, helping give supplies and opportunities to low income children.
Jordana Dahmen
Whitman CountyJordana is a sixth-generation Washingtonian and third-generation Washington State University Coug. She earned her bachelor’s degree in biology debt-free with academic scholarships. Jordana seeks opportunities to sharpen her public speaking skills. She has been a speaker at events ranging from the GeekWire Summit to Seattle’s International Women’s Day Celebration. In her spare time she creates unique hand-painted t-shirts and produces digital multimedia. She has spent the last year tirelessly trying to train her dog Rookie.
Julia Zimny
Hood CanalAs a suicide and mental health hotline operator, Julia helps respond to nearly 10,000 mental health crisis phone calls per month. She manages her high-intensity job through exercise, and even ran her first marathon last May in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month. Aside from saving lives at her job, Julia loves all things from barbecue sauce to booking flights around the world.
Kalina Springer
South SoundBefore attending college, Kalina Springer spent a year fully-immersed in German culture as an Au Pair in Austria. She then majored in International Business, graduating summa cum laude from Pacific Lutheran University. Kalina has been working in consulting and business development at Kotter International— a strategy execution and change leadership consulting firm— for over a year. Next year she will pursue a software development certification, and later complete an advanced Information and Technology Management program.
Kayzin Holt
KennewickKayzin is a first-generation college student attending Washington State University, majoring in Elementary Education. She hopes to utilize her skill-set and personal experience to teach students with disabilities as a special education teacher. Kayzin combines her passion of sports and helping children, as a volunteer youth basketball coach in her hometown. She loves staying active by hiking, kayaking, and exploring our beautiful state and by playing with her two fur-babies.
Kyann Flint
Greater BellinghamKyann Flint, a Bellingham native, graduated from WWU with a BA in Humanities and Social Sciences. She is the executive assistant at AbiliTrek, and the Co-founder of Camp Jericho. Kyann is a writer, traveler and Christian. Kyann was Ms. Wheelchair Washington 2017, second runner-up at Ms. Wheelchair America 2018 where she received the “Emerging Leader Award”. Kyann, with a platform of Defying the Defined Disability, views her wheelchair a freeing, sweet and unique accessory.
Lauren Custer
EdmondsLauren is a twenty year old native of Seattle who was away for some time in the Midwest and has returned to pursue her dreams of becoming an actress and model. She will be entering school at Shoreline community college in December, and then will go on to the university of Washington to attain a degree in psychology. Lauren has chosen suicide awareness as her platform due to the number of individuals that are affected in society.
Maricres Castro
TacomaMaricres earned her Biology degree on a full-ride scholarship before serving our country overseas for 2 years until… he raped her. As a survivor with PTSD, she serves as a brave advocate for support while pursuing her dreams of becoming a doctor (especially after her Dad was diagnosed with cancer). She inspires fellow survivors to fight for their dreams and to seek help because they deserve to feel beautiful and confident in their own skin.
Melissa Perincheril
Greater SeattleMelissa works for Amazon Web Services and founded www.thebug.org. A former KIRO 7 News web contributor, Melissa’s passion for storytelling also led to memberships in SAG-AFTRA and Turner Network Television-Cast Iron Studios’ Talent Diversity Initiative. She’s starred in T-Mobile and Delta Airlines commercials. A University of Washington Communications graduate, Melissa coaches “We the People” program students – encouraging youth to be active citizens. She enjoys writing, traveling, and sharing her adventures on social media.
Missy Colegrove
SnohomishMissy is big on chasing her dreams. Her love for aviation has continued to grow and is planning on becoming a pilot. Growing up, Missy faced many heartbreaking tragedies that shaped her into the positive role model she is today. She has started an organization donating hygiene packages, volunteering at community kitchen and teaching leadership values to students. Her biggest dream is opening a foundation in memory of her brother, Hoss. (Helping Others Succeed & Shine)
Morgan Sibley
Oak HarborReady to live out her dream of representing her home state, Morgan spends the majority of her free time volunteering with middle school and high school teens. Her efforts are spent on helping to address personal issues; and guiding students toward becoming confident and responsible young adults. Morgan strongly believes that the time we spend with our youth has the ability to direct their future in a positive way and leaves a lasting impact.
Nella Kwan
University of WashingtonNella graduated from the University of Washington, majoring in Information Systems and Marketing, and is proud to be first in her family to graduate from college. While earning her degree and volunteering abroad, Nella began her battle with brain cancer and chemotherapy. Although her battle continues, she finds victory in her journey of raising brain cancer awareness, hosting community events, serving as a non-profit board member, and sharing her story to inspire strength amongst others.
Olivia Frangos
CascadeOlivia graduated in 2017 with her Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training. She has merged her commitment to public physical health education with her lifelong education in dance, to construct her own practice of using ballet as a tool for injury prevention and rehabilitation. Additionally, she is a principal investigator, developing a research study in the exercise science realm. As a youth mentor, she cherishes nurturing confidence and encouraging others to embrace their full potential.
Samantha Schubert
Greater TacomaSamantha is a senior at Eastern Washington University majoring in Children’s Studies. After she graduates, Samantha hopes to become a Certified Child Life Specialist and work at Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital in Tacoma, WA. With a passion for the disabled community, Samantha started her platform, “Live Unlimited: Miss Exceptional”, a pageant for young girls with special needs. Going into their 4th year, Samantha has raised over $25,000 for local non-profits across Washington State.
Solace Asong
North SeattleSolace Gyamfuah Asong is 21 years of age and was born and raised in Ghana. She moved to the states on March 6th, 2015. Solace recently graduated from Edmonds Community College with a degree in biology and wants to pursue her dreams as a pediatrician. She loves learning new songs and reading books. She would like to thank her family and friends for their encouragement and help in raising the money she needed to compete.
Stormy Keffeler
Sky Valley“With hard work and determination, it is impossible to be ignored” being Stormy Archuleta-Keffeler’s inspirational quote, has pushed her to lead an exciting life! She attended college on a softball scholarship, played three years of professional football, and began a non profit called Play On Sports that is aimed to benefit young athletes in low-income families to enable them to pursue their passion just as she has.
Tawny Fajardo
Seattle MetropolitanTawny is a surgical registered nurse, CPR instructor, and pre-medical student studying to become a surgeon. Her goals are to address the physician shortage inspire the youth to explore careers in healthcare. She speaks to high school students from underserved communities, hosts fashion shows & beauty events, and advocates for the United States’ first ever dynamic biochemistry program. Tawny volunteers at the PSC Free Clinic as an RN, sharing her perspective on health with her community.
Taylor Mann
West SpokaneTaylor is a 19 year old attending her second year of college at Spokane Falls Community College. Next fall, she plans to transfer to Washington State University where she will get a degree in Communications and Broadcast Journalism. In her spare time, she works at a princess company performing and volunteering at events for children. Her biggest passion is working to end homelessness in her community by volunteering at local organizations such as Embrace Washington and Welcome Box.
Tiana Cole
OlympiaTiana was born and raised in Olympia, Washington. She graduated from Tumwater High School and is currently a sophomore at the University of Washington majoring in Journalism. Tiana hopes to deliver breaking news as a news anchor. Tiana advocates youth to get involved in the 4-H program as she believes it has shaped her work ethic and built her character. She enjoys running, horseback riding, hiking and spending time with friends as well as volunteering.
