VISALIA – Kiera Bixler is gearing up to represent California on the national stage at Miss America’s Teen competition, where she plans to showcase her love for literacy advocacy, dance and community.
With only days until she competes on the national stage, 18-year-old Kiera Bixler is preparing for the long awaited Miss America’s Teen competition on Dec. 31, where she will represent more than just Tulare County – she’ll represent California as a whole.
“You’re more likely to have a son play in the Super Bowl than a daughter compete at Miss America,” Bixler said. “To be able to do that for my community is just such an honor, and it would be so exciting to bring that national title of Miss America’s teen back to California for the first time.”
According to Bixler, the road to the Miss America’s Teen competition involves rigorous preparation. Miss America’s Teen contestants compete in several categories, each designed to promote personal growth and skill development. The competition includes Interview, On-Stage Question, Fitness, Talent and Evening Gown.
For her part, Bixler juggles interview practice, fitness routines and perfecting her jazz on pointe talent performance. Her talent routine requires countless hours of rehearsal. To prepare for interviews and on-stage questions, Bixler participates in mock interviews and practice sessions with her mentors.
Beyond the technical side of the competition, Bixler credits the support of her community as a key aspect of her success as she prepares to take to the stage. Notable supporters that she highlighted were her childhood dance studio, Dance Arts, her dance teachers like Lisa Hinds, as well as sponsors, organizations like ImagineU Children’s Museum and United Way of Tulare County, and the sheriff’s department, all of whom have played instrumental roles in her preparation and advocacy efforts.
“I recognize that not many young women get to be where I am right now, and that’s all because of the community around me – because of their hard work, because of their support – that I get to be here today,” Bixler said.
The journey to becoming Miss California’s Teen
Bixler’s journey to the pageant world began early, inspired by her mother’s role as an interview coach for the Miss Tulare County program. From a young age, Bixler was effected by the positive impact of pageantry.
“I kind of grew up around it,” Bixler said. “I was around the young women competing, and I just fell in love with seeing their growth over the years.”
When she was 8 years old, Bixler herself entered the Miss Tulare County program, which gave her the opportunity to experience pageant life without competing for titles yet. Her role at the time known as a princess (now known as little sister) involved shadowing older competitors, participating in community events, and observing the values of service and leadership firsthand.
It was when Bixler was a sophomore in high school that she decided to compete in the teen division and became Miss Tulare County’s teen.
Pageantry isn’t the only thing that has prepared Bixler for the Miss America’s Teen Competition. According to her, she’s also been pursuing her service project in literacy way before she ever considered pageantry. Bixler’s service initiative stems from a lifelong passion for storytelling and education. Her program “Imagine with Kiera” combines storytelling with interactive activities designed to inspire kids to read and develop a passion for education.
“Most people start their service initiatives because they’re competing. I happen to have one already,” Bixler said. “I’ve been working in literacy since I was 5, turning 6 years old. I told my parents, ‘I have enough presents. I want to do something for others’.”
This led Bixler to ask friends and family members to bring books to donate to the Kaweah Pediatric Health Center Library. Through these efforts, she more than doubled the amount of the books at the library in a single day.
“It’s very important that children have access to books in their homes, that they own those books,” Keira said. “Book ownership is such a significant aspect of a child’s success in the future and then beyond that, empowering children to understand that education can take them far in life.”
Earlier this year, Bixler re-released her children’s book, which she wrote in the fifth grade called “Imagine with Kiera.” It’s in both English and Spanish. With 10,000 copies distributed nationwide, she hopes the book will continue to spark an interest in books for young readers. To reach her goal, she’s partnered with organizations such as Read for Life, collecting and distributing thousands of books to children in need.
As the Youth Ambassador for the United Way of Tulare County, she works to improve access to educational resources across the region. Additionally, she collaborates with the ImagineU Children’s Museum to bring her literacy initiative to life.
While Bixler’s immediate focus is the competition, her dreams extend far beyond the pageant world. A double major in economics and media studies at UC Berkeley with a minor in dance performance, she plans to attend law school and ultimately run a national news network.
“Coming from a family where political topics aren’t taboo, we can sit around the Thanksgiving dinner table and have civil discourse without it becoming foul. I really want to spread that across America,” Bixler said.
