Miss Queen City Keelie Jones: Empowering Mental Health Awareness and Suicide Prevention
Written by Rosa Linda Fallon
In a world where women are making remarkable strides, Hendersonville, NC native and Miss Queen City Keelie Jones stands out as an inspiring young lady who is determined to make a positive impact in her community and the world around her. While pageantry may not have been Keelie’s initial passion, it became an avenue for personal development and empowerment. Starting at age 15, Keelie joined the Miss America organization. She says pageantry has helped her excel in more ways than one. “It’s helped me grow into the person that I am today. I feel like I’ve gotten a lot of self-growth out of participating in pageants because I’ve always been a very competitive, performance-based person,” Keelie says. “Getting to pair that with public speaking and community service work, as well as holding a brand title, has helped me create an image for what I want myself and my future to be.” Through her participation in pageants, Keelie has honed her skills, gained confidence, and established a clear vision for her future. She is currently Miss Queen City and aspires to earn the title of Miss North Carolina. Keelie’s academic pursuits also reflect her diverse interests and commitment to personal growth.
As a senior at UNC Charlotte, Keelie is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Public Health, a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Applied Dance, and a minor in Biology. These seemingly disparate fields align with her aspirations of a career in Health Administration. Not only is Keelie excelling academically but she is also dedicating her efforts to raising awareness about mental health and suicide prevention.
Tragedy struck Keelie’s life when she lost her close friend and mentor, Miss USA 2017 Cheslie Kryst, to suicide just last year. Keelie met Cheslie when she was 12 years old. She credits Cheslie for helping her build her confidence and having a profound impact on her life. When Cheslie passed, Keelie says she remembers feeling so angry. “I remember talking to my mom and I said ‘I am so angry because I feel like no one is doing anything, and it’s killing me because I feel like everyone’s already forgotten about her.’ And my mom looked me in the face and said, ‘Then do something about it.’”
So she did. In memory of Cheslie, Keelie founded “Crying Out Loud,” a nonprofit organization focused on promoting mental health awareness and providing resources to those in need. Her initiative serves as her community service project as Miss Queen City, but Keelie envisions it becoming a nationwide platform. Keelie says, “I want this nonprofit to be something that my children take over when I pass. I would like it to be a nationwide thing that is well known just for the sense of making mental health awareness and suicide prevention a constant conversation, and an available place where people can receive resources.” According to the CDC, suicide is the second leading cause of death for teens and young adults ages 10-34. Keelie wants to implement a curriculum into middle school and high school classes and various health clinics across the country. She shares that she also struggled with her own mental health, only furthering her passion to help others facilitate conversations around the topic. “I felt like I wouldn’t have struggled so badly with my mental health and conteplated suicide as well if it had been more of a conversation growing up,” she says.
Keelie’s journey is still unfolding, with the upcoming Miss North Carolina competition being a significant milestone. As she competes for the coveted title, she aims to utilize her platform to further amplify the importance of mental health awareness and suicide prevention. Beyond pageantry, her dedication to her academic pursuits and the growth of her nonprofit organization continue to shape her future. Through her unwavering commitment, her vision extends well beyond personal recognition as she strives to trailblaze a movement for the mental wellbeing of those around her for generations to come.