If there was ever a better representation of resilience and perseverance in today’s climate, it would be best rendered by Miss Fulton County 2022 herself, Cristy Jones, MPA. The Spelman College alumna (class of 2017) has had a love of both pageantry and the city of Atlanta since she was a kid, and since 2021 would have been her last year of eligibility, the Cleveland State Master’s Program Graduate knew she had nothing to lose in simply applying. Little did she know that that application would open a new door of opportunities.
Cristy’s first priority on her journey to her future crown was her health and fitness. “I initially wanted to compete in Miss USA. The maximum age for that is like 28 or 29… I was planning on doing a really strict diet and exercising regiment.” Almost to her goal, Cristy was unexpectedly let go from her job and battled through a depressive episode, a detail she was very comfortable shedding light on both here and on her own platform. Between her starting her graduate program at UGA and joining Weight Watchers, Jones was ready to recommit to herself and her journey. At the time the opportunity came around to run for Miss Fulton County 2022, she was still wary about the timing since she had yet to see a pageant winner who looked like her. As “a Black woman, being Bipolar, being plus-size, like there were so many odds stacked against me, which is why I wanted to do this more. I needed to prove to myself that no matter what the odds are, no matter my size, no matter what I’m going through mentally, I’m still a queen! I’m still worthy of being loved and being treated as such.”
Jones took charge of her education very early, having taken part in a Dual Enrollment Program while she attended Westlake High School. She continued to Spelman for her B.A. in International Studies, which she acquired in less than three years after switching her major three times. Socially, Jones felt like both an introvert and an extrovert. She was accepted into the Bonner Scholarship Program, completing a plethora of community service projects, and interned with the Atlanta Mission and in the office of the late Congressman John Lewis. She also became a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Despite experiencing burnout from her hectic schedule, she has called that chapter of her life “a testament to God and Him sustaining me.”
“I have a lot on my plate, and I tell young ladies I mentor: ‘You cannot pour from an empty cup.’ You have to be cognizant of what you’re doing, making sure what you are doing and making sure that what you’re doing is intentional because college is a beautiful time… but if you’re trying to be president of every club and keep all A’s… it’s important, but at the same time, your mental health is so much more important.”
Jones has aspirations to run for Miss USA in the future and dreams of becoming a College President.
