48° and Moderate rain
Image
Photo by Steve Smith Photography. Westwood High School graduate and High Point College alumnus Kiersten Khoury accepts the title of Miss Massachusetts on Saturday, June 22, 2024.
On Saturday, June 22nd, Westwood resident Kiersten Khoury was crowned Miss Massachusetts 2024 at Worcester’s Hanover Theatre, prevailing over a field of 25 contestants. The win gives her an award of $15,000 in scholarships and qualifies her to compete in what some call the nation’s oldest, most prestigious pageant - the century-old Miss America pageant.
“I am on cloud nine. It really still doesn’t quite feel real. It was a very surreal feeling,” remarked Ms. Khoury to Westwood Minute on Tuesday, following her win.
Photo by Steve Smith Photography. Kiersten Khoury learns that she has won the title of Miss Massachusetts 2024.A veteran of the pageant world for the last 19 years, Ms. Khoury is well-positioned to make a run for the next big title of Miss America. She and her mother have made it a tradition to watch the Miss America competition in-person for the past 10 years.
“It’s been an honor to watch the women of Miss America compete and win the title," she says, noting she has always wished to be one of them. "It is a very surreal moment that now it’s my time to prepare to be up on that stage. . . . I feel fortunate that I have, in a way, been prepping for this my entire life.” she says.
For original reporting of hyperlocal news, subscribe to Westwood Minute!
Ms. Khoury is intent, however, in making sure that her preparation for the Miss America competition does not hinder her from her responsibilities as Ms. Massachusetts. She is excited to use her state-wide platform to share her community service initiative, Check the Chicas, which seeks to educate young women on early detection of signs of breast cancer. Ms. Khoury’s grandmother, whom Ms. Khoury has never met but for whom she is named, died from breast cancer at the age of 34. Ms. Khoury has also watched her dance teacher - a “second mother” fight breast cancer and survive.
Ms. Khoury and her family are Westwood residents with strong ties to the community. Ms. Khoury’s father, emigrated from Lebanon at age 8 and attended Westwood Public Schools. Ms. Khoury now lives in the house across the street from her father's childhood home, and graduated from Westwood High School 32 years after her father. She has two brothers, one who is an EMT, and the other is a junior at WHS. Ms. Khoury’s mother was a PTO president and Girl Scouts leader, she says. The family resides in Westwood and her parents operate Khoury Chiropractic Centre for Health and Wellness in Dedham.
Photo by Steve Smith. The outgoing Miss Massachusetts 2023, Chelsea Vuong (right), prepares an emotional Kiersten Khoury (left) for receiving the title and crown of Miss Massachusetts 2024.The family made up part of a large cheering section during last weekend’s Miss Massachusetts competition. Along with her immediate family, Ms. Khoury's supporters included her boyfriend and his family, Ms. Khoury's cousins, aunts and uncles. Some of them travelled from New York to watch her compete. Following her win, Ms. Khoury celebrated with them, her coaches, and members of the Miss Massachusetts board, at a reception at a nearby Auburn restaurant.
Ms. Khoury has been an enthusiastic pageant participant since the age of 4. At her insistence, her parents entered her in her first competition. It was when she placed second runner-up, out of around 70 to 80 contestants, that her parents became enthusiasts as well.
“My parents were absolutely shocked. My father was very against it at first. . . . As soon as I was second runner up and he saw me on stage, he was like, ‘Oh my goodness. This is amazing!’ she remembers. “He was so impressed that his 5 year-old daughter was onstage reciting a 30 second introduction, looking like a lady, speaking like a lady, and he just thought it was the most wonderful thing. They kind of got the bug. I think we all did. And I haven’t stopped competing since then.”
Ms. Khoury says she was known as the pageant girl in middle school and in high school. She credits her participation in pageants to helping her become the person who she is today, developing skills which have helped her get a job and into college.
Photo by Steve Smith Photography. Upon hearing her name called as the new Miss Massachusetts 2024, Kiersten Khoury is overcome with emotion.“Myself and my generation, we grew up in a time where technology has taken over, and so a lot of those interpersonal skills have been lost. And as much as I appreciate team sports, and I do think they teach a lot – I was part of a dance team, and so I did have that experience – there aren’t a lot of places for young women to learn about public speaking, and interview skills, and carrying themselves with confidence, holding themselves to a higher standard, even maturity.”
She continues, “Everywhere I’ve gone my entire life, people have said, “Oh, she’s so mature. She’s so well-spoken.’[ ] I’ve gained those skills from pageants.”
Ms. Khoury put her skills to work over the two-day Miss Massachusetts competition that opened with an opportunity to perform a short, choreographed dance and give a short introductory statement. Ms. Khoury discussed her social impact initiative, Check the Chicas. She and the other contestants wore red dresses in honor of pageant partner American Heart Association.
Photo by Steve Smith Photography. Kiersten Khoury entered the Miss Massachusetts competition as the winner of the title, Miss Bay State, which she wears as she introduces herself to a new panel of judges at the Miss Massachusetts competition.A Talent and Her Story phase followed, in which Ms. Khoury wore a light blue dress and gave a 90 second speech on her experience with being diagnosed with dyslexia while attending Hanlon School as a fifth grader. She notes gratitude to her Westwood teachers and her experience at Lindamood-Bell (a private institution that she attended one summer) which helped her to become a proficient reader.
“Even though I can read, there’s still little quirks about me every single day that remind me that I’m dyslexic – whether it’s I take a left hand turn instead of a right, or I misread a word, or read something differently than its actually written,” she says.
Photo by Steve Smith Photography. Wearing a caped, light blue dress, Kiersten Khoury describes the story of being diagnosed with dyslexia and overcoming it.The Health and Fitness phase of competition has replaced the swimsuit competitions of years past. The focus has moved away from what a woman’s body looks like and focuses now on health, which can include mental, physical, emotional, and nutritional health, says Ms. Khoury.
“It really is up to the judges to decide who do they feel is confident and shining and glowing up in that outfit onstage during this day of competition…it’s about the most well-rounded, healthy competitor,” she explains.
Photo by Steve Smith Photography. In a Fitness and Health phase of the Miss Massachusetts competition, Kiersten Khoury wears a two-piece outfit from Rebel Athletics, and seeks to impart a picture of well-rounded health.The evening gown competition was Ms. Khoury’s favorite part of the contest. She wore a navy blue gown with turquoise accents from Infusion Boutique in Rhode Island.
“I feel confident. I love walking in a beautiful dress in heels, and I feel like a lady. I feel like a woman. For me, that phase of competition just encompasses all the elegance and poise and grace that we have.”
Photo by Steve Smith Photography. The evening gown phase of competition is Kiersten Khoury's favorite.A last phase of the competition was a 10 minute private interview with the judges, in which just about any question can be asked, says Ms. Khoury. She wore a favorite outfit – a white pantsuit that makes her feel like a “First Lady of the United States,” with a pink breast cancer pin on the lapel. The judges questioned her about politics, the economy, and Check the Chicas. They also asked why she would be best fit for the title of Miss Massachusetts.
In answer, Ms. Khoury referred to her long-time pageant experience. She also noted that the responsibility of being Miss Massachusetts is “being real, being humble, and being a representation of who you truly are.”
“I never wanted to win this title and become somebody else,” she says. She says she told the judges, “I am the same woman standing in front of you today as I am who goes and gets my morning coffee. I am just as bubbly and smiley and quirky. I may have a little more makeup on right now, but I am the same girl. And that’s how I want to represent Massachusetts. I want to be my true self.”
After serving as Miss Massachusetts and making a run at the Miss America title next year, Ms. Khoury will be leaving the pageant world. The January 2025 Miss America competition will be her last. After that, she says she will move on to other goals, such as becoming a business woman. She is excited to join Acceler8, a high tech recruiting firm in Boston. She is also looking forward to future roles as a wife and mom.
For now, she is thrilled to have landed her “dream job” as Miss Massachusetts. She intends to enjoy it.
Photo by Steve Smith Photography. Kiersten Khoury receives the applause and cheers of fellow contestants and the crowd in attendance at the Miss Massachusetts 2024 competition.
Photo by Steve Smith Photography. Kiersten Khoury kneels, allowing Miss Massachusetts 2023 Chelsea Vuong to place the crown upon her head, upon Ms. Khoury's winning the Miss Massachusetts 2024 competition.Thanks to Kiersten Khoury for being interviewed and Steve Smith Photography for sharing event photos for this Westwood Minute article.
Updated 6/26/2024 at 11:06 a.m.
