Asya Branch, Miss Mississippi 2018, began to compete in beauty contests at a young age. She used her platform to speak on behalf of children whose parents were in prison because her own father, a man of strong faith, was imprisoned when she was 10. His absence during much of her childhood inspired her to create her social impact initiative, Finding Your Way: Empowering Children of Incarcerated Parents.

Browse our gallery of images that follow Branch along the path to activism.

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