Ashley-Shae Benton Visits Section 36!

Section 36 had another visitor! Ashley-Shae Benton is passionate about community empowerment, a talented singer, and the current Miss Cardinal Country. I was so excited that she wanted to visit with us to discuss those topics, and a few more.

So, let's see what happens when Ashley-Shae Benton visits Section 36!

How did you celebrate winning the Miss Cardinal Country crown?
My first order of business was thanking every single person who poured into me, supported me, or helped me in any way throughout my journey to the crown. My first Miss America Prelim was the Miss Cardinal Country competition four years ago, so this win has been four years in the making. I think the fact that it took me so long to secure the crown made it mean that much more to me. After thanking everyone, I was so excited about taking on the title that I actually began doing the job before truly celebrating. I took the time to establish my titleholder Instagram account and made sure to begin following my sister queens so I can stay up to date with the organization and any local opportunities that come up. After all of that, I finally celebrated by eating lots of tiramisu—don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t dieting prior to the competition… I just couldn’t justify spending so much money on a good piece of tiramisu without appropriate cause and I thought winning my dream crown was the perfect excuse!

What part of the upcoming Miss Kentucky competition are you most nervous about?
I’m honestly just really excited! I loved competing on the Miss

Kentucky stage last summer, where I placed Top 12, won the People’s Choice Award, and received the BeMediSpa #RuleYourWorld scholarship. This helped me gain so much confidence as pageant competitor, and I hope to surpass these accomplishments next summer. Though I am positive that I will be nervous as competition nears, I am a firm believer that nerves can be turned into positive energy that will radiate on stage!

Is there a specific goal you’d like to accomplish during your time as Miss Cardinal Country?
My biggest goal as Miss Cardinal Country 2022 is to visit every elementary, middle, and high school in Louisville to promote the spirit of volunteerism and the Saving GRACE platform. Additionally, I would like to volunteer or donate to at least one philanthropic cause each month and promote it well on my titleholder and Saving GRACE social media pages. Running social media and making these appearances with kiddos would be a huge part of my job if I were to become Miss Kentucky 2022, so it is important for me to be fully prepared (well, as prepared as I can be!) to hit the ground running if I am given that opportunity. Like I said earlier, being Miss Cardinal Country is a dream job, so I want to make sure that I am giving this position everything I have as a titleholder and treating it with the same fervor I would as Miss Kentucky. 

How did you select your social impact initiative, “Saving GRACE: Providing Growth, Resources, Action, and Community Empowerment”?

Growing up, I was taught very quickly the importance of giving back to my community in any capacity that I can, when I am able to do so. Throughout my time in my hometown, I was one of the first people called anytime that a new service opportunity or need arose. However, when I moved to Louisville, I simply didn’t have the connections needed to find volunteer opportunities. Throughout my first few years of my undergraduate education at the University of Louisville, I had conversations with so many people who had a similar experience with service. These students wanted to be actively giving back to the community but had no idea where to start. That’s when I envisioned Saving GRACE, a Facebook group, geared towards folks across Kentucky who are interested in giving back. The goal of this page is to help volunteers find volunteer opportunities and to help organizations find the volunteers that they desperately needed. Since its beginning two years ago, Saving GRACE has been connected with over 900 people across Kentucky. I hope to reach over 1,000 Kentuckians by the end of 2021!

As a talented vocalist, what do you enjoy most about performing on stage?
It’s absolutely terrifying! I have been performing since I was 6

years old and still get so nervous before taking the stage. I have a background in musical theatre, so much of my artistic expression has been wrapped up in acting, dancing, and singing. Despite this, singing on stage has always caused me the most nerves and still does! Every time I choose to sing on a stage now, it is an active reminder to face my fears. Afterwards, I feel like I am on Cloud 9 and couldn’t be prouder of myself. I’m very transparent about conquering this fear and I really hope this helps encourage other girls to face their fears, take the stage, and be a star for at least 90 seconds. 

You host a podcast, “Unfiltered, Out Loud”. What can you tell me about it?

Unfiltered, Out Loud is a podcast which allows me to express the hardships and struggles that I have walked through and discuss what I wish I knew when I was going through the experience. I made this podcast in the hopes that someone who is going through a struggle, or struggles, like mine can find it and find some comfort. I like for people to know that they are not alone in their feelings and experiences and life really can get better, even if they feel like they’ve reached their lowest low. I approach these topics without sugar-coating and let bad things be bad and good things be good. My perspective is somewhere between a realist and a hopeful, so I think it is very raw and uplifting. Anyone can stream Unfiltered, Out Loud on most podcasting platforms!

You also co-host a TikTok account and YouTube channel. What is that experience like?
Outside of pageants, podcasting, and practicing medicine, my

favorite way to artistically express myself is through video creation on TikTok and YouTube with my girlfriend, Sierra. We started our content creation journey in spring of 2020 with quarantine boredom on TikTok and it has now evolved into, both, a super fun hobby, and the best job. We have connected with over 300K+ folks, mostly within the LGBTQ+ community, on TikTok by sharing a glimpse into our relationship online. Our content focuses on couple pranks, couple comedy, date nights, and everything in between. After seeing some success on this platform, we decided to expand to YouTube for content creation, as well. On YouTube, we focus on similar topics but prefer our long-form content to be more valuable to the viewer so we often include our personal, queer stories in the hopes that other queer folks can be empowered by them and love themselves a little extra. 

This summer you had the opportunity to attend your first baseball game. What do you remember from that day?

The Louisville Bats game that I attended this summer was an absolute blast! I am a big foodie, so my girlfriend made sure to get us tickets for a game on a $1 snack night. Of course, this meant that I had to try EVERYTHING—popcorn, cotton candy, icees, funnel cakes, you name it… I probably had it that day. All the snacks were delicious and definitely added to getting the full baseball experience. Aside from the yummy food, I also vividly remember not getting the memo that the team color had changed. I was convinced their colors were purple and insisted on wearing purple to be a true fan at my first game. Needless to say, I was the only purple shirt-wearer in a sea of red… Don’t worry though, I’ll be in the right colors next time-- I’ve already told my girlfriend that we have to go back next season!

Is there a feature or activity at a baseball game that you’d especially like to experience?
I know it’s a little cliché, but I would love to throw the first pitch at a baseball game as a Miss America titleholder. I am not particularly athletic, so I doubt it would be a stellar pitch, but I think it would be a great step out of my comfort zone and would be such a good story for my kids one day. Basically, the Louisville Bats need to hit me up before my reign is over!

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That would be a great experience!

As usual, I want to thank Ashley-Shae for visiting with us, and for sending along the pictures to go with the interview.

As Ashley-Shae continues her time as Miss Cardinal Country, I encourage you to check out her title's Instagram account! It's a great way to keep track of everything she has going on! 

You also definitely want to check out her personal social media presence. Go find her on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Also be sure to listen to her podcast! So many wonderful options!

I also want to wish Ashley-Shae luck when she competes for Miss Kentucky! It would be fantastic to have the first Section 36 Forever wear that crown.

Thanks again Ashley-Shae, and good luck!