Miss Teen USA: Here's Where Alabama Rush Queen Kylan Darnell Placed

“Those were words that I never thought I would hear,” she told Portsmouth Daily Times on May 26, “it was just instant joy; all of the work I’ve put in over the last three years was instantly worth it.” 

Before being crowned, Darnell had competed in the Miss Ohio Teen USA Pageant three times but never advanced further than the semi-finals.

“I was just chatting with all of the other girls backstage, and I was not nervous at all,” she told the publication. “I thought, ‘It’s either going to happen, or it’s not going to happen. If it doesn’t happen, I will move on with my life and everything will be okay.’”

Back in August, Kylan accepted a bid from Zeta Tau Alpha and has continued to share her college life on social media.

In an Aug. 14 TikTok she revealed her feelings on receiving her dream sorority, saying, “I am so shook to be a Zeta.” “This is obviously what I wanted and I’m that person that, whenever something good happens, I am just so shook.”

She continued, “That’s my reaction to everything that’s surprising and good in my life.”