"I have a very very strong hope for the girl who’s the winner this year … that she can … relate to all the viewing public a year of beautiful and meaningful experiences rather than my year’s pre-occupation with fear … a great deal of fear for our world."

"Also, I learned a lot while traveling this year … the places … the people … some of it made me very very happy and the rest was just sort of discouraging."

"I've been an animal lover all my life, and the more I learned of the torture that animals go through in the name of fashion, I just think it's so unnecessary; it's unbelievable to me. I’m blessed to team up with my pageant sisters to take a united stand and to tell the pageant industry not to support the fur industry."

"Promoting veganism, I think it’s such an important message. … I remember as a child, my grandma instilling in us that no matter how little you think you have, there are always people and beings that are suffering on the planet and have even less than us. As I’ve grown older, the love just continues to grow for all living beings. It breaks my heart when I see animals being mistreated. As we all know, in agriculture, that’s like one of the biggest mistreatments that animals endure in our country. The more I educated myself about the subject, the more I was able to make wiser, more intelligent decisions in my life. … I’ve seen some tremendous positive changes in my health in the last six years when I switched to a plant-based diet … I live by the Golden Rule: treat others as you would like to be treated. And to me, that includes animals as well. They should be loved. They are souls on this planet just like we are."

"I am so thrilled to be involved with PETA and taking a stance that I would rather be naked than wear fur, because I've always grown up with animals and I consider them my best friends, and for us to put them through so much torture and cruelty just for fashion I think is so horrific, and we need to raise the awareness because a person needs to learn to be comfortable in their own skin, not the skin of another animal."

"You're not alone with your nervous feelings. Every single person who walks in that room is feeling the same way that you are. But you have an opportunity to view your nerves as something different. It has been proven that the physical effects of stress (meaning the jitters you get, the shortness of breath, the rapid heart rate) are identical to the physical effects of courage! So when you start to feel nervous and stressed, redefine it in your mind: You are getting courageous and ready for a challenge! Don't see it as a threat but rather an opportunity to show your courage!"