Last summer I took a leap of faith and competed for the job of a lifetime, Miss Virginia Volunteer. It is the state preliminary pageant for the Miss Volunteer America pageant, a scholarship organization recently founded by Allison Demarcus, in Tennessee. It is a brand new system but I liked their focus on empowering women through their volunteerism, scholarship, and uplifting and supporting their future endeavors. Pageants are inherently risky because ultimately only one woman walks away with the crown at the end of the week and all pageant outcomes are subjective and decided by a panel of judges and their opinions. Putting myself out there to compete for a job that has never been done before was nerve-wracking. But, fortunately, after multiple phases of competition, I earned the title of the very first Miss Virginia Volunteer. This past year, I promoted my platform, RAISE: Advocating for Women’s Health. I advocate that health means more than the absence of illness. Through the RAISE core values of resilience, ambition, integrity, support, and empowerment, the emphasis is on the importance of holistic health and wellness ,with a central focus on women’s health. I am a Master of Public Health graduate, now in my second year as a PhD student at Virginia Tech studying Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health. Through my academic work and as Miss Virginia Volunteer, I bring awareness and credibility to the many women’s health issues that I am passionate about. Those issues include the maternal health crisis in our country, the Superwoman Complex, and the importance and value of mental health. Being a full-time PhD student in STEM and a pageant titleholder is not typical, but I am proud of how I’ve worn both crowns throughout this year of service. I refer to this time in my life as “The Princess and the PhD” and will treasure it always!

My passion for empowering women through holistic health and wellness began in 2016, when I founded the mentoring program Sisters with Ambition. For about 5 years, the organization mentored local middle and high school girls on various topics surrounding self-esteem, body image, goal setting, and many more important topics relevant to the RAISE core values. Through my mentoring work and Sisters with Ambition, I saw the critical need for a program like RAISE in advocating for women’s health. As Miss Virginia Volunteer, I have utilized my platform on social media, through podcasts, a virtual conference with a Fortune 500 company, and within the community to bring awareness and education to timely and relevant health issues. I am most proud of myself for doing all of this while staying true to my personal core value that, as a woman, it is never my responsibility to fit inside a box that society wants to define for me. I get to define my own path.

In May of 2022, I had the opportunity to represent the Commonwealth of Virginia and compete at the inaugural Miss Volunteer America Pageant. In the months and weeks before the national pageant, not only was I balancing the responsibilities of a full-time PhD student, graduate research assistant, and state title holder with appearances, but I was also rigorously preparing for the multiple phases of the competition. Leading up to the final night of Miss Volunteer America, I began to come to a place of peace. I realized that I had done everything I could possibly do to be ready for the job of Miss Volunteer America. As the names were called for the Top 16, it was difficult to understand why I wasn’t a semi-finalist. I always aim high and I never considered a scenario where I didn’t make the Top 16. Yet, somehow, I was still at peace with my performance. I exited the stage as Breana Turner, Miss Virginia Volunteer, with an overwhelming sense of pride… despite the initial disappointment of falling short of my goal. Even though I did not “win” the crown, in hindsight I “won” in so many other ways. From the tenacity and persistence that I exhibited during my reign, to not being afraid to utilize my voice, creating change within my community, making lifelong friends, and falling in love with the woman I have become throughout this journey as Miss Virginia Volunteer. I am truly better because of my “loss.” Even though it is so cliché to say, life has a funny way of working itself out, and a larger plan is always revealed in due time. Perhaps because of the challenges I faced as the first Miss Virginia Volunteer, competing at the inaugural Miss Volunteer America Pageant, and completing my first year as a PhD student, I am more confident in my abilities and who I am as a woman.