Justus Kelley Makes Miss USA History

Justus Kelley is making history — and she says she nearly walked away from the opportunity before it even began.

Kelley, who represented Virginia, was crowned the 75th Miss USA on Thursday, Aug. 27, in Miami, becoming the first married woman, mother and woman in her 30s to be recognized as the winner of the title.

But months earlier, Kelley wasn’t sure she would compete at all. In February, she received a call offering her a foster care placement for two siblings. With the children about to arrive at her home, other commitments, including planned Fashion Week appearances in Paris, suddenly seemed less important.

“I just didn’t know if Paris mattered anymore,” Kelley tells PEOPLE.

Her family, however, encouraged her not to abandon her ambitions.

“They said, ‘I want to remind you what you’ve told us for years, and that is that you don’t have to give up on your dreams, you don’t have to give up on yourself,’ ” she recalls.

Kelley says the support of her family ultimately made her feel comfortable accepting the Miss USA opportunity. Her “village” assured her they would care for the children while she traveled and fulfilled her duties.

“That showed me what a year as Miss USA could look like,” she says.

Kelley, a foster mom, nonprofit founder and children’s book author, celebrated her victory with family and close friends in Miami. Her 2-year-old child, who she says is obsessed with “princesses and tiaras,” stayed home but is expected to be thrilled when Kelley returns.

Her victory follows Miss USA’s 2023 rule change allowing married women and mothers to compete and a 2024 change eliminating the previous age cutoff of 28.

While Kelley is the first recognized winner fitting all three distinctions, Mary Leona Gage was crowned in 1957 but had her title stripped after organizers learned she was married and a mother.