2nd runner-up Miss North Carolina USA 2020, 2nd runner-up 2019, Semi-finalist Miss New Jersey USA 2018, Top 10 Miss NC USA 2016, Miss New Jersey Teen USA 2013 (Semi-finalist Miss Teen USA 2013)
A native of New Jersey who was living and working in Lynchburg when she won, Christina Thompson was crowned Miss Virginia USA on 17 July 2021 and represented Virginia at the Miss USA 2021 pageant in Tulsa, Oklahoma. A successful reporter and anchor, Christina went on to graduate with a Master’s degree from Columbia University’s School of Journalism.
Christina is the daughter of Hallie Bonnell-Thompson, Miss Ohio USA 1987. She graduated Cum Laude from Wake Forest University in 2018 with a BA degree in Communication and minor degrees in journalism and writin. At Wake Forest she was a member of student government and the Kappa Beta Gamma sorority. After receiving her degree she then began her career as a TV news reporter and is proud to say that this year she became an award winning journalist.
Christina is now pursuing her Master’s degree in Journalism at Columbia University and plans to spend her free time freelance reporting on the appearances that she will be making across Virginia, and broadcasting them in the form of her own news segment called Crown Time with Christina Thompson. The intent of her segment is to shine a positive light on her wonderful state while helping encourage more young women to experience pageantry and its wonderful benefits.
Christina began her career as an on-air TV personality at the age of 15 when she started reporting for “Teen Kids News,” a nationally broadcasted news show geared towards educating kids and teens on current events. She went on to work in London, England for a sports production company called Sunset+Vine, where she focused on creating promotional videos for Olympic athletes. She then moved to Paris, France to study international affairs. Christina is inspired by women in positions of influence and leadership in the professional world. She was fortunate to intern for the first female new anchor of CBS Evening News and a 60 Minutes correspondent, Norah O’Donnell, while she was anchoring for CBS This Morning. Norah and her accomplishments, along with her strong team of female producers, have inspired Christina most in her career.
Christina is very passionate about creating opportunities for women and children and is blessed to serve as the CEO of Purposeful Positions, a mentorship program she created which aids young women in finding and excelling at careers in the broadcast journalism industry. The program has a 100% success rate for placing young women in their first job within three months of their college graduation. And since the age of 13, Christina has spent her summers teaching English and math to children living in an impoverished village in Guatemala.
The on-stage moments, the tension of the final two and the glory of the crowning, here are Christina’s state pageant photos.
Lights, camera, action! Professional photoshoots are one of the perks that comes from winning a title.
Christina won the Miss New Jersey Teen USA title on her first attempt, but took five attempts to clinch her ticket to Miss USA. In her Miss era she competed in her home state of New Jersey, as well as in North Carolina, where she went to college and Virginia, where she was working when she won.
All beautiful things must come to an end, no matter how bittersweet. See Christina’s farewell walk and other candids from the weekend she crowned her successor Kailee Horvath as Miss Virginia USA 2022.
Winning a state title is a sisterhood for life. Here are Christina’s “after the crown” photos.
