Meet Regan Hutsell: Rockette, Ballerina & Miss America

Regan Hutsell has just made history after being crowned the 99th Miss America on Sunday (Sept. 6). Not only is the 25-year-old the only Miss America to win while wearing her natural hair, but she is also the first Miss Texas to have snagged the crown in more than 50 years. Here's more about the pageant winner. Video will return here when scrolled back into view Meet the Masterminds Behind the Beats: Celebrating Black Music Producers by Region To view this video please enable JavaScript. view video Meet the Masterminds Behind the Beats: Celebrating Black Music Producers by Region A Professional Dancer Dance has been one of Hutsell's passions since she was a child, and her aspiration to become a professional was solidified at age 7, when she entered her first dance competition, according to People. It took her only 11 years to achieve her goal — she was hired as a Radio City Rockette at 18 in 2019. Though her time with the Radio City Rockettes was cut short in 2020 due to COVID-19, that didn't stop Hutsell from getting the opportunity to jet all the way to the United Kingdom when the world opened back up in 2021 and join the Birmingham Royal Ballet, one of the world's largest touring ballet companies. Related: How Vanessa Williams, the First Black Woman to Win Miss America, Lost Her Crown to Scandal But Reemerged a Queen On being a dancer, Hutsell told Texas Lifestyle Magazine that the community built is special and it creates a strong sense of determination within a person. 'I will say the community that I found through dance has been something incredibly special, and people don't always know that. Yes, the environment is competitive and the pressure is high, but the community that you glean from it is something that is completely unexpected,' she said. 'At times, you have to check your emotions at the door to truly convey and bring a message to an audience. I can say the determination of a dancer is truly like no other.' Aspiring Physical Therapist HOUSTON, TEXAS – AUGUST 03: Miss Texas 2026 Regan Hutsell makes the first call at Daikin Park on August 03, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by) Hutsell might be a dancer and Miss America 2027, but she's also a college student studying to become a physical therapist. According to her interview with Texas Lifestyle Magazine, Hutsell plans to use the $33,000 in scholarships awarded to her by the Miss America organization entirely toward her college degree. However, if she weren't studying physical therapy or touring Europe as a dancer, Hutsell would want to be a pastry chef, according to her page on the Birmingham Royal Ballet website. Struggled With Her Body Image Growing Up Screenshot: YouTube/KHOU 11 news It can be easy to imagine that a pageant winner would be the most confident when it comes to their looks, but that's not always been the case for Hutsell. Per Texas Lifestyle Magazine, Hutsell has had struggles with her body image since she was 8 and her battles have inspired her campaign of advocacy. 'Being able to encourage others who are struggling means a lot to me. When I think about service, it has given me the confidence and courage to use my voice as an advocate for people truly finding home within themselves,' she told the Texan magazine. 'This is something I'm incredibly passionate about and a message that I look forward to sharing and continuing to do as Miss Texas or as Miss America.' It's also what inspired her to compete in the Miss America pageant with her natural hair, which helped her secure her historic win. In an interview with People, Hutsell said, 'I think it's important now to be able to show little girls who might be watching at home that they can exist as themselves with their own natural hair, with their own natural beauty, whatever that means to them, that feels a little bit different or a little bit outside of what maybe the stereotypical normal is.' Pageant Career Started In 2025 While Hutsell has already made history as the 99th Miss America, she is still relatively new to pageant life. According to an interview with Houston-based news station CW39 Houston, Miss America is only Hutsell's third pageant competition. In 2025, Hutsell put herself in the running for Miss Houston 2026 and won the award in September of that year, which allowed her entry into the Miss Texas Pageant. She won that title in June of this year — and just three months later, was crowned Miss America in September 2026. Now that's iconic.