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Future 40: Miss USA Cheslie Kryst Will Never Give Up

The 28-year-old attorney was crowned Miss USA in 2019.

Cheslie Kryst, Miss USA 2019 

Miss USA's 2019 winner, Cheslie Kryst, is an attorney who spends part of her time working pro bono to reduce the sentences of incarcerated prisoners.

For her last question in the final round, Kryst was asked whether the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements have gone too far. "I don't think these movements have gone too far. What #MeToo and #TimesUp are about are making sure that we foster safe and inclusive workplaces in our country," she said. "As an attorney, that's exactly what I want to hear and that's exactly what I want for this country. I think they're good movements."

The 28-year-old Charlotte, NC, native practices civil litigation for a law firm and does free legal work for prisoners who may be sentenced unjustly, helping them to seek reduced punishments.

Besides working in law, the pageant winner operates a successful fashion blog, White Collar Glam. She was inspired to start the blog after struggling to find appropriate, affordable and professional clothing, and as a result, she intends to some day design a workwear clothing line.

Kryst has a law degree and an MBA degree from North Carolina's Wake Forest University, and an undergraduate business degree from the University of South Carolina, where she was a track athlete. 

Kryst went after the Miss North Carolina and Miss North Carolina USA crown four times and didn’t take home the title until 2018. Let that be a lesson to never give up.

Cheslie Kryst, New York Fashion Week, NYFW

Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Afffair

Cheslie Kryst - Cheslie Kryst attends the Afffair S/S20 front row during New York Fashion Week: The Shows at Gallery II at Spring Studios on September 05, 2019 in New York City. (Photo: Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Afffair) 

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