The new Miss USA is an attorney who spends part of her time working on the behalf of prisoners for free.
Cheslie Kryst, a 28-year-old from Charlotte, North Carolina, was crowned as the pageant’s 2019 winner Thursday night at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada.
For her last question in the final round, she was asked whether the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements have gone too far.
“I don’t think these movements have gone too far,” she said. “What #MeToo and #TimesUp are about are making sure that we foster safe and inclusive workplaces in our country.
“As an attorney, that’s exactly what I want to hear and that’s exactly what I want for this country. i think they’re good movements.”
Kryst practices civil litigation for a law firm and also does free legal work for prisoners who may be sentenced unjustly, helping them to seek reduced punishments, one of her biographies on Miss USA’s website reads.
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As Miss USA, Kryst will be eligible to compete in the Miss Universe competition.
Besides working in law, she operates a blog on fashion, White Collar Glam. She was inspired to start the blog after “struggling to fund appropriate, affordable and professional clothing,” and she intends to someday start a workwear clothing line, the Miss Universe website says.
Kryst has a law degree and a master’s of business administration degree from North Carolina’s Wake Forest University, and an undergraduate business degree from the University of South Carolina, where she was a track athlete.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly spelled Cheslie Kryst’s name.