By Janet Sparker, Ed.D., PA-C, Assistant Professor
To meet Kelsey Craft, M.M.S., in person, you might be impressed by her beautiful smile and lively personality, but she is much more than that. On August 5, the class of 2017 NSU physician assistant (PA) graduate was crowned the 2017 Miss International winner while representing Florida after only being active in pageants for two years.
The Miss International System promotes the achievements of women ranging in age from 19 to 30 who serve as role models from various states and countries. Each contestant creates her own platform, and the winner promotes this platform throughout the year.
International and its affiliates have goals that aligned perfectly with Craft’s goals of focusing on communities rather than only on individuals. Craft, who competed against nearly 50 other contestants to win the Miss International title, focused her platform on the theme Making the Healthy Choice the Easy Choice.
Throughout her reign, Craft will promote the importance of healthy living by working with the Blue Zones Project and Go Red for Women organizations. Her healthy living philosophy ties in comfortably with her new career as a physician assistant.
“I believe that being a PA allows me to speak from a firsthand perspective,” she said. “When I talk to groups about heart disease, for example, not only do I know the science behind it, but I have cared for these patients and also have seen the effects on families.”
Craft hopes to use her Miss International title to educate and spread awareness about healthy behaviors to prevent disease.