MANSFIELD – Lexie Miller’s time is not something she can divide willy-nilly. The 23-year-old Newark native is a nurse at Mount Carmel East in Columbus, working rigorous hours between making time for friends and family, and, of course, her new duties as Miss Ohio.
Miller won the title on June 20 at Archer Auditorium at Ashland High School, in just her second year competing for the title. She brought immense confidence to the stage, taking home the preliminary talent award for her performance of Aretha Franklin’s “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.”
Now, the confetti swept away and ball gowns hung back up, Miller’s on the road, attending events and doing interviews.
“It’s funny, because when I’m at work, I’m in nurse mode,” Miller said. “Something about nursing is … you do a lot of small talk. It’s a lot of very small, concise conversations.
“If I go to tell the surgeon about something that’s going on with my patient, he’ll be like, ‘Cut the details. I don’t care. Just tell me what I need to know.’ So then, transitioning over to Miss Ohio, I have to break down a few walls and share more about myself.”
Confidence has been one of the biggest parts of Miller’s journey to Miss America. Growing up, Miller didn’t see Miss Ohio as a realistic goal.
“(Being a nurse and being Miss Ohio) were both different dreams that ran parallel to one another,” Miller said. “For so long, though, I never thought I could be Miss Ohio … I was like, ‘Oh well, that’s something that’s probably never going to happen for me, and I’m OK with that.’
“Being a nurse was my first dream, and then I had a little bit of fun along the way, and here I am now. I am Miss Ohio.”
Miller’s background as a nurse has inspired her community service initiative, Take HEART, which seeks to bring awareness to cardiovascular health. It also comes from an experience with an elderly neighbor, who Miller describes as her best friend growing up.
“I remember when I was still quite young, she went to the hospital and had to have a valve replaced in her heart. So she had open-heart surgery, and the biggest thing she’d stress to my brother and me was to take care of our bodies,” Miller said.
She also recounted the fear her great-grandfather lived with after suffering a heart attack. The ever-present fact that it could happen again at any point, taking his life.
Growing up, Miller started to see warnings of heart health everywhere. At the University of Akron, Alpha Phi, her sorority, dealt in philanthropy surrounding heart health. Her discovery that the Miss Ohio Competition was a national partner of the American Heart Association was all but confirmation in what he community service initiative needed to be.
“Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States and the world, but it is largely one of the most preventable diseases through lifestyle changes and and good habits,” Miller said.
Despite lacking consistent opportunities to go to the gym due to her demanding work and event schedule, Miller has found ways to aid her own health. Working in the ICU is physically demanding as is, and nursing is a profession prone to burnout. Miller makes it a point to remind herself why she does it and takes time to prioritize her health.
Miller started competing in pageants as a teen. It was a natural fit despite still-budding confidence, given Miller’s passion and talent. She recalls singing for hours on end during trips to her grandparents’ houses, to her brother’s chagrin.
Miller didn’t have the big theater scene other Miss Ohio competitors did as a youngster. Instead, her Newark Catholic High School music teacher was the first to enable her talent, giving her a microphone and a stage to sing.
Her choice to sing Franklin’s iconic hit didn’t come naturally. It was a suggestion from a friend – one Miller had to mull over before deciding on. It was the correct decision, as Miller will sing the “ode to self-confidence,” as she described it, once again at Miss America on Sep. 7.
