Miss Ohio 2002 wants people to know she is not the average pageant girl.
“I’m like one of the guys. Everybody expects Miss Ohio to walk around with her nails done and everything. That’s not me,” said Kimberly Mullen, a 22-year-old Ohio State senior in international studies.
Kimberly Mullen was born in California but moved to Huber Heights, Ohio, with her family when she was younger. According to her mother, Sherlynn Mullen, Miss Ohio has always been very demanding of herself.
“If she got anything below an ‘A’ in high school she was upset,” Sherlynn Mullen said.
That drive to be the best guided her through successful modeling and dance careers. Kimberly Mullen has modeled all over the world, from New York to Milan to Barcelona. She says being herself seperates her from a lot of models and helped her succeed in the Miss Ohio pageant.
“I see a lot of girls stressing out about interviews and going over their answers,” Kimberly Mullen said. “I just have fun with it.”
Miss Ohio’s mother will attest her daughter has not changed despite her success.
“She is just naturally her,” Sherlynn Mullen said. “The thing that makes me the most proud is that she has done everything she wanted to with her life, even when people told her she couldn’t.”
That strength to persevere helped Mullen when she visited Ground Zero in December.
“Words can’t describe it,” Kimberly Mullen said. “I cried when I was there, and I don’t cry.”
Ms. Ohio was at Ground Zero for one day during a 3-day photo shoot talking to firefighters and policemen still working on the wreckage. “The firefighters and police were so nice,” she said. “It was unbelievable.”
Kimberly Mullen credits her strength through these hard times and her ability to achieve her dream to a friend she lost five years ago to ovarian cancer.
“She has been the biggest influence on my life,” Miss Ohio said. “She never stopped living. Even right before she died, she always told me to live life while you can.”
In memory of her friend she has decided to focus her reign as Miss Ohio on raising funds and awareness for the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.
“It is a disease we know very little about,” Kimberly Mullen said.
She has already started her fund-raising with autograph signings at the Cincinnati Ballet Nutcracker and to the Mall at Fairfield Commons in Beavercreek, Ohio. However, she is most excited about her upcoming charity event at Fabric on Jan. 26 at 10 p.m.
“The cover charge is $10, and we get a portion of each cover charge they collect,” said Michael Vance, public events coordinator for Miss Ohio 2002. “The more people we get, the more money we raise. Every penny we raise goes directly to OCRF.”
After her charity event at Fabric, Ms. Ohio will begin serious preparation for the Miss USA pageant on March 1 in Gary, Ind. She said she is excited for the opportunity to win and broaden her fund-raising crusade to a national level.
When she is done with pageantry, Kim Mullen wants to pursue a career in acting in either New York or Los Angeles. Her ultimate goal is to become a U.S. ambassador. And yes, guys, she has a boyfriend.
