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After eight years of serving her country in a Navy uniform, Jade Kircus is trading it for a pageant sash.
At 36, the wife and mother of three is representing Georgia in her first-ever pageant: Miss USA. The competition takes place Aug. 27 in Miami.
"To be quite honest, I've actually never considered doing pageants," the Navy veteran told Fox News Digital. "It's not that I didn't think they were wonderful, and I really admired the women who did them. I just was always in a season where I wasn't able to do them, and I'm finally in a season where I can give a hundred percent."
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"I went from the Navy uniform to being in a sash because I really felt like the Lord put it in my heart in October to compete," she said. "And when I found out that my state didn't have an actual pageant, I signed up for the open casting call after praying about it for a long time. So, since October, I've prayed about it. And the door opened. I joined the open casting call and was selected as Miss Georgia USA."
Kircus said it's never too late to chase a dream — or a crown.
"I never thought that at this point in my life I would be doing something like this," she said.
"But you can do hard things. You can do hard things at any age, at any stage. And I think each person has their own season where they're able to step out, and they're able to really show up in a way that they never thought they could. And so, whoever is listening, I want you to know that today you can make a choice to change. Today, you can make a choice to be confident and become the woman or the man that God has called you to be. It's never too late."
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In October, Kircus decided to take a chance on pageants. Later that month, she learned she was pregnant.
"I said, 'OK, Lord, that's a closed door,'" she recalled.
Months later, Kircus experienced a heartbreaking loss. In January, she had a miscarriage nearly 16 weeks into her pregnancy.
"We lost our baby girl," she said, fighting back tears. "I remember holding her in the hospital through several traumatic moments before that. And I remember looking at her and being like, 'Wow, this life is so beautiful.' And it was in my most difficult moment that the Lord really showed up and showed me who He was. And although it was challenging, I clung to my faith."
Kircus said her faith helped her through the loss, giving her "peace" and strength to keep moving forward for her family.
"In my hardest moment, I looked at that and was like, 'God, you're still faithful. You're still good. You still care about me deeply, and my baby girl is with you. I get to meet her one day because you're good.'"
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Kircus said she spent January grieving. By February, she was ready to take a leap of faith and give herself something new to work toward.
"In February, God put Miss USA back in my heart," she said. "I'm like, 'OK, God, I thought it was a closed door, but it is an open door. And so, I'm not going to sit in the pain and the hard parts of what I just experienced. I'm going to move forward and know that you have a plan.'"
"I miss my baby girl, and I wish I was holding her right now," she said. "I know that I'm here for a purpose, whatever that is, whatever that looks like."
Pageantry is far different from Navy service, but Kircus said her training prepared her for the challenge.
"The Navy really taught me determination," she said. "It taught me resilience. It taught me how to lead with purpose, no matter the circumstances. Being a mother has also taught me those things, but it taught me so much about people, taught me how to love people even better, taught me how to raise the next generation, how to meet them where they're at, let them know they're valued, they have worth, they're loved."
"The Miss USA organization has taught me so much," she said. "Not only about just being able to step out and be bold wherever you're at, but also how to relate to people, how to truly be the best version of myself and not only lead people, but work with them to make a better community, a better world."
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Kircus is a first-generation American whose parents are from Scotland and England. She served two sea tours before completing a shore tour at U.S. Central Command in Tampa. After leaving the Navy in 2020 and working for several years as a government contractor, Kircus chose to become a stay-at-home mother in 2024.
The Miss USA pageant dates to 1952, when Catalina Swimwear launched the competition after withdrawing its sponsorship of Miss America.
For Kircus, competing for the crown is another opportunity to serve.
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"Representing the USA is one of the most incredible honors of my life," she said. "Not only have I experienced that as a naval officer, but I've experienced it as a daughter, as somebody who has parents who are not originally from this country. My heart has always been to serve, and representing the USA on an international scale really would be such an honor. And I do believe we can make an impact."
"My goal is to let people know they can walk in confidence in whatever God has called them to do, because they have something to bring to the table," she said. "It's never too late to show up for your country. And that's the woman I want to be."
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