This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing 988.

Alexia Rodrigues is trading in her combat boots for a chance at a crown.

On Sunday, the pageant star is competing in the Miss America competition as Miss Rhode Island in Orlando. She previously enlisted in the Rhode Island Army National Guard during the COVID-19 pandemic. She has completed over three years of full-time active duty.

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The 25-year-old told Fox News Digital she’s eager to raise awareness about women in the armed forces. Serving has given her purpose over the years, she said.

“I absolutely love my job,” the Warwick native shared. “I get excited every day to be able to put on my uniform, to serve my country, my community. … That’s what fuels me every day. What the Army does, which not a lot of companies do, is ensure that our soldiers are trained from day one on EO, which is “equal opportunity” and SHARP, which is the “Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention Program.”

“We have an extremely supportive team that goes through each step and ensures that every unit is taken care of and is following these policies,” she shared. “I’m here to show young girls that even if there is no space for you where you want to be, create that space yourself. There is no limit. Be the first, and leave that door open for the next woman to come after you.”

Miss America, a glitzy competition, was born from a 1921 Atlantic City beauty contest just a year after women were given the right to vote, The Associated Press reported. Many participants say the organization — a large provider of scholarship assistance to young women — has been life-altering, opening doors for them both personally and professionally.

The organization, one of the nation’s most recognized brands, awards more than $5 million in cash scholarships annually, plus millions more at the national, state and local levels.

“I think there were many things that Miss America offers that I knew aligned with my beliefs and I immediately wanted to be a part of,” said Rodrigues. “I’ve been competing in this organization since I was 16 years old, so I’m coming up at nine years now. It took a lot of tries and a lot of resiliency to make it to this point.”

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One of the causes Rodrigues aims to highlight is supporting foster youth. It hits close to home. 

Rodrigues entered foster care after witnessing her biological mother battling addiction and suffering neglect. She wasn’t adopted until age seven.

“My foster parents, who are the only parents I’ve ever known – I hate calling them that because, to me, they’ve always just been mom and dad,” she explained. “They started the process when I was fairly young, around three or four years old. It was a long journey. I believe that’s where I got my resiliency. From both of them.”

Rodrigues created the community service initiative, “Foster Hope, Adopt a Dream,” which aims to educate the public on “the realities of foster care.”

“What we [forget to realize] is that there are half a million children in our foster care system, and over 22,000 of them will age out every year, never knowing a loving family or a support system, not having access to higher education,” she said. 

“This will lead to one-fourth of them ending up either incarcerated, homeless, or jobless. My goal is to educate people on these statistics. While they might be very sobering, they paint a very real picture of the realities of foster care.”

“We don’t have too many policies that cover foster care and what these children are entitled to,” she pointed out. 

“I just met with Senator Reed, going over bills I would love to propose. [They would] make Rhode Island the pilot state for the Foster Youth Bill of Rights and the Foster Hope Act. Both will focus on services for children aging out of the foster care system. They’ll ensure that children in foster care know their rights … and they know who to go to if their rights are being violated.”

Rodrigues said serving in the Rhode Island National Guard gave her the confidence to share her story and the strength to help others in similar circumstances.

“I was in Syracuse,” she recalled. “I was in my second year studying political science. When COVID hit, my life, just like everyone else’s, turned upside down. My normal became abnormal. I was sitting at home writing these essays about the change that I wanted to see, the change I wanted to create and be a part of at a time when I felt very disconnected from my community, which is a core part of who I am.”

“I reached out to a former Miss Rhode Island – Miss Rhode Island 2015, Allie Curtis, who was a captain in the Rhode Island National Guard,” said Rodrigues. “I asked her, ‘Do you feel like you’re making an impact? Why do you continue to serve?’ She told me her reasons, and she invited me to spend a weekend with them … I immediately fell in love with the group of people, their passion for serving and the ability to be part of something bigger than myself.”

Tragedy has also fueled her sense of purpose. At 13, Rodrigues lost her sister, Tiffany, to an undiagnosed heart disease. Then, in 2024, her brother, Keith, died by suicide.

“I think grief leaves a type of pain with you that never fully goes away,” said Rodrigues. “I created my resiliency tour where I went into communities, into units within the military, into classrooms, and I talked about resiliency, what the word means, what it looks like. I tell my story of loss, grief, going through foster care, being vulnerable, because not every moment on this journey did I think I was going to be OK.”

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Today, Rodrigues hopes that her journey will inspire others to make a difference in their communities.

“There were far more moments than I would like to admit that I thought [what happened to me] was going to break me forever,” she admitted. 

“I did struggle with mental health … I was fortunate I had a support system that recognized I wasn’t OK, even though I would smile and say I was. It’s because of them that I was able to not be OK in those moments, that I needed to just cry, break down, to feel like the world was caving in on me. After that, they helped me pick up the pieces and put myself back together.”

“Because of them, I’m here,” she said. “It’s because of them that I’m the woman I am today. That’s why it’s always been my goal as a leader… to bring the message forward, be the support system that I had that far too many young kids don’t.”

The Miss America competition is on Sunday, September 7. The Associated Press contributed to this report.