Kylie Ryder: Using My Platform for Advocacy

Meet Kylie Ryder, a senior at the University of Northern Iowa, where she’s pursuing a degree in advertising and digital media marketing. In addition to her academic work, she’s a dedicated leader—currently serving as a Campus Captain with The Hidden Opponent (THO) and a second-year captain of the UNI Dance Team. Beyond campus life, Kylie has also made her mark through the Miss America Scholarship Organization. She was crowned Miss Illinois' Teen in 2021 and now proudly holds the title of Miss Heart of Illinois, preparing to compete for Miss Illinois 2025 this June.

In this Q&A, Kylie opens up about her journey in dance, pageantry, leadership, and how these experiences have shaped her personally and professionally.

How did you start competing in Miss Illinois/America and what do you love most about it?

My introduction to the organization was a little different than most. My former dance coach, Hannah Bohn, served as Miss Illinois 2011, and through that connection, I was fortunate enough to perform with a guest group of dancers at Miss Illinois Week every June from 2015 to 2019. 

For as long as I can remember, Hannah had talked about wanting me to compete for Miss Illinois’ Teen, but it had just never been something that I thought I could do. However, in February 2020, I took the leap and competed in my first-ever local competition. I was a dancer and loved being on stage, so I figured I would give it a shot! I ended up walking away with the title of Miss Windy City’s Teen 2020, something I never thought would happen. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Miss Illinois week was postponed a year to June 2021, when I competed for the title of Miss Illinois Teen. And to my surprise, I won! My year of service was life-changing, and I am so thankful to have had a support system that pushed me out of my comfort zone to try something new.

The Miss America Organization has five pillars - scholarship, style, success, service, and sisterhood. Each of these pillars is a key demonstration of the skills and values each contestant takes away from the organization. It is more than just a pageant. It is an opportunity to serve your community, make a lasting impact, and empower the next generation of girls, showing them they can do anything they put their minds to. 

Of course, competing at Miss America’s Teen is one of my most cherished memories, but there is so much more I love about this organization. The Miss America Opportunity is the #1 scholarship provider to young women across the United States. I have been fortunate enough to earn over $6000 in scholarships to help me earn my undergraduate degree, which would not have been possible if it weren’t for the Miss Illinois and Miss America Organizations. The beauty of this organization is that you don’t have to win the title to earn scholarship money. This is because of the unwavering generosity of the many sponsors and volunteers the organization has.

Along with this, the Miss America Organization gives titleholders a platform to make a difference in the world around them. Each titleholder has their own community service initiative (CSI) that they advocate for during their year of service. While I served as Miss Illinois’ Teen, I advocated against distracted driving, which was inspired by my uncle's story. As I now have the opportunity to potentially serve the state again, I knew I wanted a CSI that was personal to my story. Thus, Mind Games was born. A platform I use to advocate for and educate on athlete mental health.

Why is mental health advocacy in athletics important to you?

Growing up as a dancer, I have had my fair share of experiences that have affected my mental health negatively. God had blessed me with the gift of dance, and I really excelled at it. That being said, I always felt like I could not speak up when I was struggling mentally. I felt the need to be 100% all of the time, both as a dancer and as a team leader. I remember telling one of my teammates and best friends that I felt like I could not show weakness because “someone has to be the one to hold it together.” And that couldn’t be further from the truth. 

That is why mental health advocacy is important to me. I want to be the person that younger Kylie needed. I want to show athletes that it is okay to not be perfect all of the time and that their mental health matters. I hadn’t noticed the negative effects these experiences had on me until years later, and I want to be a face of change that shows other athletes how to be more in tune with their mental health, and that they are truly never alone in what they are feeling. I want to spread the message that you are more than just your sport.

What inspired you to become a Campus Captain?

I actually became aware of THO when I was researching athlete mental health for a school project I was working on. I stumbled across Victoria Garrick’s TEDxUSC talk and felt inspired by her story. After becoming more familiar with THO, and deciding I wanted to take my athletic mental health advocacy more seriously, I discovered the Campus Captain program. I immediately felt drawn to apply, as I knew this would only amplify the work that I wanted to do to make a change in the athletic community.

What has been the most rewarding part of being Campus Captains? Have there been any particularly meaningful moments in the program that stand out?

Being able to combine my position as a Campus Captain with my position as a titleholder through the Miss Illinois Organization has just been super cool to navigate. I would have never thought that Miss America and The Hidden Opponent would ever cross paths, but that’s exactly why I do what I do. I want to bridge the gap and show that someone who is involved in Miss America can also be involved in the world of sports. The two can coexist and work together to make change. 

Being able to speak about my story and experiences through this article has definitely been the most meaningful moment of my involvement with the program. I am very passionate about growing the Miss Illinois and Miss America Organization, as well as expanding the conversations around athlete mental health, so getting to do both at the same time is really rewarding.

Can you tell us more about the 5k you are hosting!! What are your goals for the event?

The Stronger Together 5k came together because I wanted a way to bring people together and advocate for athlete mental health, while also staying active. With this being the first event like this that I will be hosting, I didn’t give myself a ton of expectations. I just wanted to put this event on because I was passionate about it. Whether 3 people or 100 people showed up, I knew I was making a difference. As registration went on, I decided to open up a virtual participation option. My mom brought this idea to me, and I knew it would be the perfect way to not only advocate for athlete mental health in my community, but across the United States! 

The Stronger Together 5k will be taking place on April 19th, 2025. As we get closer to the date, my goal is to continue to expand the conversations around athlete mental health, growing awareness, and creating a space where athletes can feel less alone in their struggles. I care less about event participation numbers and more about the number of lives I’ll be impacting. I’ve realized that no matter how big or small your efforts are, they are always going to make a lasting impact on at least one person's life. 

What advice would you give to future campus captains or those looking to get involved in mental health advocacy?

If you have even the slightest urge to get involved, do it! You can make an impact no matter who you are, or where you come from. It is so important for people like you to use your voice because, without it, no change will be made. I have found my passion for mental health advocacy through a semester-long project, and here I am a year later about to bring this topic to the Miss Illinois, and hopefully the Miss America stage. 

I have found that even in just my small community, people have started to gain awareness of the true hidden opponents behind athletes. I have been lucky enough to have people in my life who support my passions, and you can find those people too! Whether you're putting on a full 5k, or even just talking with your peers about athlete mental health over coffee, it all makes a difference. It just takes one conversation to open a door of opportunities, so take the leap and get involved. You won’t regret it.