Greetings Everyone!

Last weekend, I got the opportunity to volunteer with The Salvation Army in both Grand Island and Hastings! Friday after reporting at work, I headed over to help parents pick out Christmas presents for their children at the Toy Shop in Hastings. It was so heartwarming to see how gracious and thankful the parents were for having the chance to give their children beautiful new toys!

On Saturday, I got to cross something off my bucket list: ringing the bell! Even though it was a cold and drizzling outside, I still had plenty of fun and helped raise a lot of money at the Grand Island Hy-Vee! It's wonderful seeing how kind people can be. Some people even donated on their way in and out! One of my favorite parts was getting to take pictures with all the children who wanted to meet Miss Nebraska USA!

Hello Everyone!
My interview with Radio Free Asia has been published! I first interviewed with them after winning the National American Miss title and I had lots of fun chatting with Ms. Ninh Pham about my journey to the Miss Nebraska USA title, being Vietnamese-American and my career as a reporter at NBC Nebraska...all in Vietnamese! I'm very proud of my culture and was ecstatic to do an interview in my first language!

The publication is only in Vietnamese, but if I get a spare moment, I will translate for my English-speaking fans. However, if you speak Vietnamese, feel free to check out the interview here! 

xoxo Hoang-Kim

Greetings Everyone!
Sunday Night I was invited to make an appearance at the Grand Island Dillard's Elite Shopping Night. It essentially was one big shopping party, which was pretty cool! I got to help give out the annual Dillard's ornaments, announce raffle-prize winners and help shoppers with their holiday shopping. The Dillard's staff was absolutely incredible and really made me feel welcome!

I absolutely love my job as a reporter and fill-in anchor at NBC Nebraska. While my day-to-day duties of storytelling already make it an incredible career, my coworkers and bosses are extremely supportive of me and my dreams. On finals night, two of my coworkers traveled to Omaha to cheer me on, quite loudly I might add. When I won, one of my other coworkers broke the news on the Sunday night newscast and had photos of my pageant weekend on air. To top all of that love and support off, I got to come into the studio for a sit-down interview! 

I remember standing there and feeling incredibly calm. I knew if it was meant to be, it would happen. And when it did, an overwhelming sense of joy washed over me. It's hard to describe what goes through your mind during your winning moment. There are so many emotions rushing through, but excitement and gratitude was definitely at the top of the list. 

I feel so blessed and honored to walk away with this coveted crown. Thousands of girls across the country dream of wearing the USA Star crown and I can't believe I'm one of them. The Miss Nebraska USA Pageant was such an incredible experience and I can't wait to embark on my new journey!