LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — As October marks National Foster Youth Month, Miss Kentucky Ariana Rodriguez is working to raise awareness for foster children. The journey to her crowning moment, however, was not always an easy one.
"There were so many days where I did feel that the odds were set against me, but I just kept looking at myself in the mirror and saying, 'You will not become another statistic," she said during last Monday's episode of LEX 18's Hot Mic.
At just 20 years old, Rodriguez made history as the first former foster youth to earn a spot in the Top 11 at Miss America. She said that this achievement almost feels like a different life than the one she lived as a child.
"I went through a lot of really dark times," she said. "I mean, living out of my car, it's scary being a 16-year-old and not knowing when you're going to eat or where you're going to sleep that night and still worrying about, 'Oh, I have homework to do."
Rodriguez grew up in the foster care system and was homeless by age 16, living out of her car in Nelson County. She initially looked into talent competitions to pay for college, not realizing that her decision to do so would lead her to the country's biggest pageant stage.
Now, back in Kentucky, she's reflecting on what she overcame to wear this crown and sash.
"Growing up in so many different kinship homes, being the eldest daughter, it was really my responsibility to look out for my younger siblings," she said. "While I was experiencing all of this trauma myself, I was worried about them."
Those experiences led Rodriguez to create her organization, The Lucky Ones, where she is working to educate the public on the foster care system and amplify the voices of children.
Her mission? Proving beauty is far more than skin deep.
