MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Two Shelby County women will be representing at the Miss United States competition this weekend at the Cannon Center in downtown Memphis.
Kyndal Hayes from Germantown is representing Tennessee, and Cordova native Lily K. Donaldson is representing the state of New York.
Hayes is Ms. Tennessee and works in pharmaceutical sales for Johnson and Johnson. Her platform is to bring awareness to cardiovascular disease in adults and children.
“I’ve seen the consequences of cardiovascular disease and diabetes in my career every day,” she said in a news release.
Donaldson, a Bolton High graduate, moved to New York in 2020 for her Ph.D., and wants to raise awareness of the importance of STEM and arts education for disadvantaged students.
“Studying Computer Science in college after attending Memphis City schools really opened my eyes to how far behind many of our students are when it comes to science and math, and the prevalence of defunded arts programs at Title 1 and underserved schools,” Donaldson said.
Donaldson said she and Hayes were friends before finding out they would compete together, and look forward to welcoming the fellow contestants to their hometown area.
The Miss United States pageant runs October 14th through 16th. Tickets are available at unitedstatescrown.com.
