April Hawkins was crowned 2024 Miss Colorado for America Strong. It was only her second time ever competing in a pageant. Her wins prior to that have always been in the realm of sports. Years of grueling hard work, discipline and sacrifice put her in the position to become an elite level athlete. April’s goal through high school and college was to compete in track and qualify for the summer Olympics. After getting in a car accident in 2014 and being bedridden, she found new interest in winter sports as the Olympics were going on. That same year, she got back in shape and made the Team USA Bobsled and Skeleton team. In 2017, the opportunity arose to represent Nigeria in the sport of Skeleton, a country in which April has dual citizenship. She represented Team Nigeria as they made their first ever appearance in the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.
As the mother of 4 children; two girls and two boys, her weekends are filled with rugby games, gymnastics practice, swimming and as of recent, orienteering.
April is honored to be walking alongside the beautiful models with Down syndrome. A lot of her “why” behind pageantry is to be a solid representation of what it means to show up as your authentic self and that when you do, you can move mountains. The best person you can be is always going to be you!
See April at GLOBAL’s Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show:
