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Sisterhood Spotlight

Profile photo of Katie Rose wearing crown
Katie Rose
Miss Virginia 2023

As Miss Virginia 2023, Katie Rose has used her role to advocate for domestic violence prevention by empowering women with education and encouraging reform. Katie’s mission to instill the importance self-worth in young girls and equip them with the tools they need to break free from abusive situations has left a lasting impact on Women+girls throughout the Commonwealth.

In honor of the 2024 Miss Virginia pageant happening in June, this week we highlight Katie’s impact and learn more about her journey. 


At what point in your life did you decide you wanted to compete to become Miss Virginia? 

For seven years, I chose to compete in the Miss America Opportunity, because the program provides scholarship opportunities to women and truly prepares great women for the world and the world for great women. I first moved to Virginia to receive my undergraduate education from George Mason University in Fairfax, where I immediately fell in love with this state and learned to call it home. I realized that the Commonwealth was where I was meant to be and where I could make the greatest difference and impact on my community. Virginia quickly became the place where I wanted to live, work and raise a family. Because of this, Miss Virginia gave me the opportunity to serve the place that had become my home. It was my greatest honor to wear Virginia across my chest at the 102nd anniversary of the Miss America Competition and to have been able to serve my state for the past year.

Please share your motivation to focus on domestic violence and more specifically, the mental health detriment that it possesses to women and girls.

I am survivor of domestic violence, and it has become my mission to not only eradicate domestic violence through teaching Virginia’s youth the importance of knowing their self-worth, but also providing women and girls with the tools they need to avoid and break free from abusive situations. A large part of healing and eradication is to understand the enormous impact that unhealthy domestic relationships create both physically and mentally. Often times victims return to their abusers simply because they have no recognition of their own self-worth and have been psychologically abused and groomed to the extent that they believe the abuse is normal and that they caused it. Young girls grow up seeing this pattern of abuse and later recognize this behavior as acceptable, and young boys think that it’s okay. Emotional scars last far longer than fractured bones and bruised faces, but they are the last to be seen, recognized and healed. This year, I have been motivated to advocate for change through sharing my story and encouraging others to do the same, as domestic violence should never be a dirty secret that we refuse to address.

What made you want to target your lessons on identifying, building, and maintaining healthy relationships to elementary schoolers? What are the benefits of learning about this in early childhood?

I chose to target my lessons to elementary schoolers, because they are the most vulnerable with the greatest opportunity to begin to change the cycle of abuse. Often times our elementary school students do not realize how great they are and that they are the future of our Commonwealth. It is our obligation to instill in them the importance of treating one another with respect and kinds and to allow them to know that they are worthy of nothing short of that. The benefits of learning this in early childhood allow our children to form healthy relationships early and expect nothing less in their adult lives.

In your role as the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority (ABC) School Liaison, what are the are the primary issues you are addressing and what should parents share with children about responsible consumption of alcohol?

Virginia ABC’s message is all about making healthy and positive choices. I identify who our trusted adults are, what a leader is and how to become one. I also educate our youth on substance abuse prevention and share with them the adverse consequences that occur when using and abusing drugs and alcohol. I personally believe that parents are responsible for teaching our children not to consume alcohol until they are twenty-one years of age and that the consumption of tobacco and other substances (that are not prescribed to them) should not be tolerated nor permitted. Modern medical research is suggesting that people under the age of twenty-five suffer much more serious medical and psychological issues as a result of consuming such substances especially before their brains have even fully developed. Therefore, parents need to be educated, as well.

Are there women that you feel served as role models for you as you stretch to become a leader and advocate for others?

Our First Lady of Virginia, Suzanne Youngkin, has served as a role model for me for the last three years. When I first started competing in Virginia, she welcomed all the contestants with her inspiring words of wisdom. This speech immediately gave me the purpose and encouragement that I needed to know that I was right where I needed to be. The way that our First Lady is so steadfast in her faith has also motivated me to do the same. FLOVA is a class act, and I have strived to do and be the same way for other young women to follow. This year, I have been authentically true to Katie, and I have had the most success throughout the Miss Virginia Opportunity by doing and being just that. The Miss America Opportunity is all about empowering women to be their best through our sisterhood. The First Lady’s message of always uplifting and encouraging women to lead and inspire one another through sisterhood has given me someone to look up to in my current role as Miss Virginia. I am excited for the next Miss Virginia to have all my love and support, because that’s truly what this organization is all about. I have been able to come into my own this year by trying to lead through the Lord’s plan that he has for me and by embracing sisterhood in everything that I have done. This is exactly what I have learned to do through my time knowing our First Lady.

Another strong woman in my life is my favorite College Professor, Terri Markwart. She is the sole reason that I chose to pursue a career in politics. Her message allowed me to not only embrace the fact that there is a place for women in this space, but to become a leader and inspiration to others in doing so. Terri has done so much and has uplifted me in a way that has allowed me to have a servant’s heart.

About Katie Rose

Katie Rose, Miss Virginia 2023, is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of the George Mason University with a B.A. in government and international law and minors in legal studies and dance appreciation. In May, she received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Richmond School of Law. Katie has interned twice with the White House and three times on Capitol Hill and has served as a Policy Fellow for the Office of the Virginia Governor. An advocate for domestic violence prevention through empowering women and enabling reform, Katie is also an ambassador with the LAWS Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services, and stays involved in domestic violence support initiatives through the Commonwealth. Katie’s goal is to empower women to become the best version of themselves and to regain their power and strength to break them from abusive situations. Prior to her title of Miss Virginia, Katie was involved in the Miss America’s Teen program for two years and competed at the state level a total of seven times before winning the crown. She competed in the Miss America competition in January 2024, where she performed ballet en pointe for talent.

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