1st runner-up 2016, 1st runner-up 2015
A native of Cranston, Miss Rhode Island USA 2017 Kelsey Swanson represented Rhode Island at the Miss USA 2017 pageant in Las Vegas, Nevada. Kelsey is a talented artist and won numerous Scholastic Art Awards in high school. She is a graduate of Cranston West High School and was studying psychology at the University of Rhode Island during her reign.
Miss Rhode Island USA 2017 Kelsey Swanson grew up in Cranston the majority of her life, but moved around quite a bit, and even attended 4 different elementary schools as a child! She is a graduate of Cranston West High School and is currently studying psychology at the University of Rhode Island.
Kelsey is a talented artist and won numerous Scholastic Art Awards in high school. She also enjoys cooking and baking and prides herself in her ability to make outstanding steak and cheese, and buffalo chicken calzones. In 2012, Kelsey took her first trip without her parents and backpacked across Europe. Her passion for traveling and determination to see the world has since grown tremendously. She has now visited a total of 17 countries.
The road to the crown has not been an easy ride. She has endured a great deal of adversity while working towards the title. At the end of 2014, Kelsey was in a car accident. Through treatment for a head injury, doctors discovered a brain tumor she never knew existed. This accident was a blessing in disguise. Without the removal of the tumor, Kelsey would have lost most of her eyesight. The doctors allowed her to hold off her surgery to compete in the 2016 Miss Rhode Island USA pageant as long as symptoms did not arise. In November of 2015, Kelsey had an extensive, but successful four-hour surgery to remove the benign tumor, and a few months after Kelsey’s surgery her mother was diagnosed with Breast cancer. All of these circumstances have transformed her into a strong, resilient woman, more eager to come back for the 2017 Miss Rhode Island USA pageant, to take home the title.
The on-stage moments, the tension of the final two and the glory of the crowning, here are Kelsey’s state pageant photos.
Lights, camera, action! Professional photoshoots are one of the perks that comes from winning a title.
There’s nothing better than watching a contestant progress from year to year! Here’s a look back at Kelsey’s previous pageant photos.
All beautiful things must come to an end, no matter how bittersweet. See Kelsey’s farewell walk and other candids from the weekend she crowned her successor Daescia DeMoranville as Miss Rhode Island USA 2018.
Winning a state title is a sisterhood for life. Here are Kelsey’s “after the crown” photos.
