Miss America Regan Hutsell balances crown and career aspirations as Liberty student

After one of the most challenging seasons of her life, Liberty University student Regan Hutsell was recently crowned the new Miss America and is now using her platform to encourage others to pursue their goals.

On Sept. 6, Hutsell, competing as Miss Texas, became the event’s 99th winner. She was the fourth Miss Texas to take the crown — and the first in 52 years. She won $50,000 in the scholarship competition.

Before entering pageants, Hutsell was a professional dancer, working as a Radio City Rockette in New York City and for the Birmingham Royal Ballet in England. While in England, she faced multiple hardships, including recovering from a meniscus tear and an eating disorder.

“Those two years in England were challenging,” she said. “I was praying about it, and I just felt like it was time to go home. I needed the space and time to heal and discover what was next for me.”

Hutsell returned home to Houston, Texas, in December 2024 with her future in limbo, but she trusted in the Lord’s sovereign plan. At 24 years old, she prayed about starting college and decided to pursue a health sciences degree through Liberty University Online Programs with hopes of becoming a physical therapist one day.

“Throughout my experience in physical therapy, I saw what it looked like to have great people on your team championing you to return back to what you want to do,” Hutsell said. “I’ve seen how physical therapists can truly shape somebody’s entire outlook on recovery and pull them out of the darkest moments. I think one of the beautiful parts is that it’s an opportunity for evangelism as well as getting to shine the light of Christ to people when they’re struggling.”

Hutsell said she chose Liberty because of its flexibility and strong integration of faith in every class: “Education was a new journey for me. Life was getting busy, so I knew I needed something that was flexible and allowed me to pursue education while also pursuing all my other dreams at the same time.”

She said it is possible to work toward multiple goals, even if those goals seem mutually exclusive.

“It gets easier once you realize that so much of your life can fit together, that balance is possible,” she said.

She has balanced her time with the help of her family, who have been involved in the pageantry process since the beginning.

“Everybody has played their role. My entire family has been there for me every step of the way,” Hutsell said. “My dad read an article about Abbie Stockard (Miss America 2025) and how she prepared 150 questions leading up to Miss America, so he would call me every night and ask me questions on the phone.”

Her mom would come to the studio and play music for her while she was rehearsing her talent portion, a jazz routine to “Le Jazz Hot.” Her older sister helped coach her dancing, and her youngest sister would pray over her during the process.

As Miss Texas and now Miss America, Hutsell has been able to live out her faith through her community service initiative, “Your Body Is Your Home,” inspired by her personal experience with an eating disorder.

“I had clinical help, I went to a psychologist and worked with a dietitian. It took tools to get to a place where I am happy, healthy, and secure. Those tools are the ones I get to pour out to others.”

She helps girls find the motivation to reach out for help and encourages them to learn to love themselves, to highlight all the things that make them beautiful, and learn how to celebrate them.

“One day when I was having a bad time, my coach told me, ‘I want you to remember that even though your body has been your instrument, it is first and always your home,’” Hutsell said.

“You truly have been perfectly crafted and created so beautifully, so intricately, so wonderfully,” she added. “I think a lot of us hear that verse Psalm 139:14 that talks about how you’ve been fearfully and wonderfully made, but truly take time to sit with that, to resonate with it, and to realize that you have been created perfectly.”