Who Is 2018 Miss USA Winner Sarah Rose Summers?
On Monday night (May 21), Miss Nebraska Sarah Rose Summers bested 50 competitors to take home the Miss USA crown. Now, as she readies to represent the U.S. in the Miss Universe title later this year, get to know the country's newest pageant queen.
A 23-year-old from Omaha, Summers is a recent grad of Texas Christian University, where she earned bachelor's degrees in strategic communication and child development, as well as a minor in business.
According to the official Miss Universe website, she was hospitalized at age 4 for idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, an immune disorder that can cause bruising and bleeding. The experience eventually drove her to become a certified child life specialist and she now works as a liaison between young patients and their medical teams, helping families to understand procedures, diagnoses, and the like. While working at a camp in Wasilla, Alaska, she also conducted cognitive research on children with behavioral issues after being traumatized within the foster care system.
Summers studied abroad in Peru during college, where she hiked Machu Picchu, and is a former pilates instructor. She's interested in helping others have a healthy relationship with food and fitness.
"From her personal experience finding a balance, watching her mother lose 75 pounds, supporting multiple friends as they struggled with anorexia and orthorexia and learning about the eating disorder inpatient unit during her clinical rotations, she is passionate about working closely with [the National Eating Disorders Association] this year and plans to continue doing so," reads her Miss USA bio.
Summer's Miss USA responsibilities include performing charitable acts, attending galas and fundraisers, and making special appearances, among other duties. The Miss Universe competition is slated for November 2018.