The finalists vying for the title of Miss District of Columbia!

Alivia Roberts - Miss DC 2022!

Alivia Roberts is a Special Assistant at the White House, a Congressional Gold Medalist, Girl Scouts ambassador, and author. She graduated summa cum laude in Communication from Mississippi State University, served on the university’s Senate and earned the Jimmy Abraham Service Award. In 2020, as a Wolcott Scholar and Pi Alpha Alpha inductee, Alivia earned a Master of Public Administration and Certificate in Nonprofit Management from The George Washington University. She’s a member of the Mississippi Society of Washington, DC's board, Junior League of Washington, and Kappa Delta Sorority’s National Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.

Simone Edwards

Simone Edwards is a 25-year-old Juris Doctorate candidate pursuing a public interest-focused legal career. As a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant, she had the brief opportunity to teach in Guatemala, before the pandemic sent her back home where she wasted no time in becoming an AmeriCorps member to serve her students in DC at Hendley Elementary School. Before moving to DC, she started a nonprofit in her grandmother’s honor called the Winter Joy Project which focuses on giving winter clothing to children in need in Chattanooga, TN. As a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., she has always prioritized giving back and finds herself volunteering for her church, volunteering virtually with NISGUA, and with Thrive DC. If you can’t find her at any of those places, you can find her at home with her cat, Hera, making digital art, or perusing her bookstagram!

Alaysia Bookal

Alaysia Bookal is an elementary educator, equity fellow, and teacher development coach. A recent graduate of American University, Alaysia obtained an M.A in Political Communication and M.Ed in Educational Policy and Leadership. Raised in a low-income community single parent household, led Alaysia to establish a nonprofit organization, Step-by-Step Achievement Academy. There she advocates for resources and academic mentorship for low-income students to increase representation in education, medicine, and law. Alaysia hopes to show young girls they are not defined by where they come from and that they can achieve their highest dreams. When she is not working, she is Facetiming with family, tutoring elementary and middle school students, or watching Bridgerton for the fifth time.

Nicole Linder

Nicole Linder is a 19-year-old rising sophomore majoring in psychology at The Catholic University of America. She is from Doylestown, Pennsylvania and has a twin brother. Throughout her process in the Miss DC competition she has been speaking out to bring more awareness to anxiety disorders and depression, both of which she has suffered from for many years, but failed to talk about up until recently. Nicole’s desire is to graduate from college and become a forensic psychologist. In Nicole’s free time she likes spending time with her dog, Meggie, her family and her friends exploring different parts of DC.

Maya Rimpsey

Maya Rimpsey is a 23-year-old artist and activist. Born and raised in South East D.C., she has dedicated her life to serving marginalized communities affected by inequities along the lines of race, class, and gender through organizing and performance. After graduating Thomas Jefferson University in 2021 with a B.S. in fashion merchandising, and a minor in diversity, she decided to employ both passions by working in social media marketing and the labor organizing movement.

Grace Ann Champion

Grace Ann Champion is a two-time graduate of the University of Alabama at Birmingham where she earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in accounting. A 23-year-old Financial Auditor for the U.S. Government Accountability Office and CPA candidate, Grace Ann is passionate about making personal finance education accessible to all. Her social impact initiative, Grace Ann’s Two Cents, advocates for personal finance education in schools nationwide. In her free time, Grace Ann loves to knit sweaters, dance in the kitchen, buy more books, and relax in nature.

Georgia Turpin

Georgia Turpin is a rising senior at The George Washington University where she studies psychological and brain sciences and international affairs. She is a Cadet in the United States Air Force and will commission as a Second Lieutenant upon graduating in May 2023. Her military experiences have inspired her to create From Princess to Soldier: an initiative that seeks to defy stereotypes by empowering females to pursue male dominated career fields. 
In addition to her coursework, Georgia volunteers in the D.C. public school system as a tutor. In her free time, she enjoys running/cuddling with her puppy, Winnie, and volunteering through her non-profit organization, Mission: Shared Smile.

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Kisa Motiwala

Kisa Motiwala is a 22-year-old lawyer and the youngest graduate of The George Washington University Law School, where she graduated at the age of 20 and earned the President’s Gold Volunteer Service Award. She works at a boutique litigation firm, and previously interned for the White House and the Department of Justice. Kisa is a passionate advocate for pediatric cancer awareness, serving on the Marketing Committee of the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation and as Co-Director of Princesses Against Cancer DC. In her spare time, Kisa enjoys coaching mock trial competitors, judging advocacy competitions, reading novels, and discovering delicious brunch spots.

Hayden Richardson

Hayden Richardson is a 23-year-old Congressional Director, Deputy Chief to a political party, and is cited in the New York Times. She graduated at the top of her class from Northwestern University with a double major; she went on to win top honors thesis and was student-elected to lead commencement. As a Truman Scholar, Hayden moved to D.C., began her public service career, and plans to pursue her Ph.D. She enjoys being with her kitten Cleo, facetiming her family, and volunteering with D.C. women’s organizations combatting Human Trafficking.

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Lily Goff

Lily Goff’s work in the U.S. Intelligence Community initially brought her to the Washington, D.C. area in 2017. Lily is now a commissioned Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps and a rising third year law student at American University Washington College of Law. Lily will be a Judge Advocate once she joins the fleet. She graduated magna cum laude from North Carolina State University with a dual degree in Mechanical Engineering and International Studies. She is a professional dancer in a range of styles and has worked as a backup dancer domestically and internationally.

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Ghelatia Araia

Ghelatia Araia is a Washington D.C. native and a graduate student at New York University; earning her MPH degree with a concentration in Global Health. She graduated from American University with a B.S. in biology during the early stages of the pandemic in 2020. She works for the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in their Kidney X program. Recently, she was the semi-finalist for the Department of Defense Smart Award. Her journey in the health field began with the passing of her father and she is using her personal experiences to go into the field of adolescent grief. Ultimately, her goals in life are to become a pediatrician and open a program in D.C. to mentor students who have experienced loss. Also, Ghelatia’s favorite hobbies include hiking, reading, and drinking chai lattes.

Rachel Huang

Rachel Huang is a 23-year-old graduate student at Gallaudet University studying Speech Language Pathology. As a neurodivergent student clinician, she is passionate about the need for autism research that represents the lived experiences of autistic individuals and supports appropriate service and care in all professions.  In addition to being an aspiring clinician, Rachel works part-time as a nanny, as a lifeguard and swim instructor on campus, and has worked as a camp counselor for the past 6 summers. When she has free time, she works on creative writing projects or crafts such as knitting, painting, and sewing.
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