Top 5 reasons why we stan Fil-Am Miss Idaho USA 2020 Kim Layne
Miss Idaho USA 2020 Kimberly “Kim” Layne, who is of Filipino and Irish descent, was first runner-up at the recently concluded Miss USA 2020.
Pageant fans, especially from the Philippines, were hopeful for Kim to win, as it would have been the first time that both reigning Miss USA and Miss Teen USA come from Filipino roots. Newly crowned Miss Teen USA 2020 Ki’ilani Arruda from Hawaii is half Filipino.
(Miss South Carolina USA 2020 Hannah Jane Curry, who competed at the pageant with Kim, is also of Filipino descent.)
After the Miss USA 2020 pageant, held at Elvis Presley’s Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee on Nov. 10, the hashtag #MissIdaho trended together with #MissUSA.
Kim was a strong contender for her eloquence, her advocacies and confidence. But it was Asya Branch from Mississippi, the first African American from Mississippi to win the Miss USA title, who bagged the crown.
Pageant watchers pointed out Kim’s resemblance to Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray. They were also hopeful that Kim would join the next Miss Philippines Universe, not entirely impossible as she has dual citizenship.
Kim may not have bagged the Miss USA crown but that doesn’t mean she is any less of a queen. Here are Top 5 reasons why we stan Miss Idaho USA 2020 and Miss USA 2020 first runner-up Kim Layne.
She has endearing love for family
The 26-year-old was born and raised in a military town in scenic Idaho. Her mother, Jeannette, works at the Nampa School District. Kim said in a post that her mother, originally from Talisay, Cebu, taught her perseverance.
Kim’s father, Almer, is a disabled Vietnam veteran who served as a medic with the Navy and the Marines. He was not able to witness the pageant live because of his medical conditions and is immunocompromised but Kim made sure she symbolically brought her father with her by putting her dad’s military dog tags in her gown. She learned from her father how to be driven and how to care.
Kim has a younger sister, Madisen.
She values education
Education is important to Kim as her family instilled in her that if she has a dream, she has to work for it to make it a reality.
She graduated from Skyview High School, where she was an outstanding student and athlete. For that, she earned scholarships, grants and financial aid that covered the costs of attending Cornell University in New York, where she earned her Animal Sciences degree with distinction in research.
She’s currently taking up master’s in Public Health at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, and finishing her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at the Washington State University. She juggled all these as she competed at the Miss USA 2020!
She is an animal lover
On her Insta, Kim shows her love for animals with photos of herself with dogs, cats, horses and more.
Her family used to have a small farm when she was younger and working around animals is something that she grew up with. That is also the reason why she wanted to become a veterinarian.
Kim has an adorable poodle Soren whom she brings along with her in outdoor adventures like hiking, kayaking and camping.
In her Miss USA 2020 video, Kim said she hopes to combine her interest in animals and in public health to make a difference on diseases like ebola, zika and coronavirus.
She has also volunteered to veterinary services in Washington to provide veterinary medical care to at-risk and disadvantaged communities to improve animal health and welfare.
She’s into fitness and she loves the outdoors
Growing up in Idaho, which has amazing scenery, Kim loves the outdoors (she snaps beautiful photos, too!). But outside of the Gem state, which mostly boasts mountains and forests, Kim also enjoys the beach and other watersport activities.
She has a beach bod to flaunt, alright. It’s because she practices yoga and is a trained Barre instructor. In fact, while the lockdowns were in place, she conducted Barre classes online.
She stands up for her beliefs
Kim is an advocate of health promotion and disease prevention and she has spoken about social and healthcare inequities.
During the Black Lives Matter protests, she received feedback on social media that as a titleholder, she should censor her opinion on racism. But she did not back down. She posted across her social media platforms, including her Miss Idaho USA account, her take on the criticism.
“The protests you see today are about life and injustice because people of color do not have an equal chance,” she said in her post. “Discuss racism with your friends, your family, your children and your neighbor. Being silent is being complicit.”
Banner image from missidahousa.com