Under Review: Wielgus Proves Women Can Balance Both Work And Family

Editor's Note: March is Women in History Month and March 8 was International Women's Day. As a tribute to these occasions, I honor my good friend, Hayley Wielgus, who certainly has made her mark in the competitive world of TV journalism. She is an inspiration to me and many people - both men and women - who wish to follow not only in her broadcasting footsteps, but also in their commitment to community service and volunteerism. 

While she noted to me that she hardly felt worthy of being interviewed for this momentous month, I would beg to differ, as she - like so many other women in the workplace - are worthy of being singled out for balancing both demanding careers and a thriving family life. In honor of this important month, we chatted recently to discuss her career and the importance of women to the industry.

By Allan Brown

Hayley Wielgus' career path proves that the old adage there's an exception to every rule is definitely true.

You see, while most young children dream of wanting to pursue a specific career one day, then change their minds the next and end up actually entering an entirely different field when they do reach adulthood, Wielgus knew early on in life exactly what career path she wanted to enter as an adult.

And, she pursued that goal with gusto even as a child, and never changed her mind. 

"Very early on, probably when I was four years old I had one of those Fisher Price tape recorders with a microphone and would do my little reports and interview my mother and sister about whatever came to mind," said Wielgus, who today co-anchors the 5, 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts with Bob Mueller on WKRN-TV,  the ABC affiliate in Nashville, Tenn.

According to her bio on the website, she loves that her position allows her to get out in the field often because she considers herself a reporter at heart. 

And, while she acknowledges that it is certainly not common for a person at four years of age to know what career path they want to follow, it was one woman in particular who she admired that kept her eyes on the job she coveted even at that early age.

"Katie Couric was my news role model from a very early age," Wielgus said, adding that the would watch the Today Show every morning before school and enjoyed how the former NBC anchor conducted herself on the show and in her interviews.

"I really liked her style, I thought she was very relatable and I looked up to her as a kid," she said, adding, that Dominique Sachse, an NBC local anchor in Houston, where Wielgus grew up, was also someone she admired.

"I liked watching how they did things," Wielgus said, admitting, "That it probably was not a kid thing to do to watch local news."

She admitted that she "has no idea why" she gravitated to that desired career path, but said she had entered many elementary school writing contests and Optimist Club speech competitions along the way.

"I was always interested in news, public speaking and broadcasting," she said.

During this Women's History Month, women like Couric and Sachse paved the way for Wielgus to create a successful path and style all her own.

Prior to arriving in Nashville, Wielgus previously worked at WWSB ABC 7 in Sarasota, Florida, where she served in multiple roles at the station over more than six years. She went from morning and noon anchor to evenings and also covered health stories and special assignments.  

She also frequently hosted live political and community-news-focused round table discussions and appeared as a guest on the station’s “Suncoast View” talk show. 

She covered the 2012 and 2016 presidential election campaigns during their many stops through the swing state of Florida. She also reported live from the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. 

Prior to WWSB, Hayley was a weekend anchor and reporter at KYTX CBS 19 in Tyler, Texas, and worked for Bloomberg Television in Washington, D.C.  She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism - with a minor in Spanish - from Texas A&M University and a master of science in journalism-broadcasting from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.

In between obtaining her undergraduate and graduate degrees, she served as an intern for the-then CNN Headline News Network in Atlanta.

All the places she's worked and the stories she's covered along the way have benefited her immensely, she said, and prepared her for her current position in Nashville.

One thing Wielgus has noticed along the way is the prominence women have in the industry, something that was not always the case, as the first female local anchor didn't take to the airwaves until Robbie Timmons did in Lansing, Michigan, in 1972, way before Wielgus was born.

"I think women really have become more prominent in both local and cable news. It feels like there are more women than men in the newsroom now," she said, adding that the number of females in leadership roles has also increased dramatically from let's say two decades ago.

"So many women have been attracted to this field," she said, though not exactly being able to pinpoint why that is true.

For, Wielgus, "I like the fast-paced atmosphere of news and it's an ideal field for someone who is naturally curious and I would say I am. You have a front-row seat to history."

With the recent pandemic having affected all areas of the medium and more reports being done virtually, Wielgus said she misses getting out into the community to both cover stories, interacting with the local population and working in an active role with many charities and causes that she holds close to her heart.

Outside of work at the station, she serves on the board of directors for Special Olympics Tennessee. She’s been involved with the organization for many years and was a certified swim coach in Florida and Texas. She also has volunteered through numerous organizations including Big Brothers Big Sisters, Junior League and the Nashville Pi Beta Phi alumnae club.  

"We get a lot of support from the community and viewers who like to get to know you," Wielgus said, while acknowledging that the support and social media can actually be a double-edged sword for those in the industry.

"I think it's both positive and negative," she said, adding, that viewers, while mostly well-intentioned, can also often have an opinion on personal aspects of a broadcaster's life, in addition, to the professional ones.

And, she noted "Definitely both men and and female viewers can be equally critical. I can't say because I'm not a man, but it's more of an effort to be a woman (in this industry.)"

The advantage to being a woman in broadcasting, though, she said is that "with viewers, women like to watch women and men like to watch women," she said, adding that social media is a way you can connect with viewers and seems, in her experience, to come a little more naturally to women in the business.

The negatives to being a woman in the business don't outweigh the positives, she said, though, adding, "I doubt the men get the DM's women get or get asked out for dates while on a story."

In her free time, she loves spending time with her rescue dogs, Mattie and Jade, her soon-to-be one-year-old daughter, Brighton, and her husband, Max Winitz, who she met while working in Sarasota.

For a working mother, Wielgus feels she has a great job to be able to spend time with her family, as opposed to women in a strictly 9 to 5 position.

"There are advantages and disadvantages, she said, adding that, "I get to be home with Brighton in the morning and in between (most) newscasts, so it's nice in that way, but, "On holidays, you're often working and you definitely don't have the flexibility to leave work early. You have to be present for the (next) newscast."

As for the age-old dilemma all working women face, Wielgus feels that you can have it all, a family and a career, although the trajectory to that is often more difficult than those stay-at-home mothers face.

"You can have a career, 100 percent, you're just not going to be there as much," she said, adding, though, that "I think you cherish the time you do have because you don't have unlimited time with them."

Wielgus did mention one thing that she feels employers could improve upon that would be a huge benefit to working women trying to balance both their personal and professional lives.

Many employers don't offer paid parental leave and and she feels if employers offered that and more flexibility, women would be better equipped to balance both motherhood and a career without leaving the workforce.

As for Wielgus, she said having a husband who is in the same business has more advantages than disadvantages.

"You each understand the demands of the career. A lot of people outside TV just don't get how it works," she said, acknowledging, though, that the downside to that is "It's hard for both to find jobs in the same market," and one of the spouses usually has to take a backseat to the other when the right position opens up.

With March being Women in History month, she noted the massive gains females have made in broadcasting and hopes they continue.

She noted that more and more local stations are pairing two women on their newscasts as opposed to the traditional male/female co-anchor team. The move by NBC in 2017 to pair two women, Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb, was a huge step in the right direction to erasing the long-held belief in the industry that co-anchors should be of opposite sexes.

"There are no rules anymore," she said, adding that it really should be about which two individuals have the best chemistry, regardless of their gender," she said.

As for how she has been treated as a woman in a once male-dominated field, Wielgus noted that she has never felt less than equal to her male co-anchors, something many women who started in the field 40 or 50 years ago might not be able to say.

"I've always felt respected by the men I've worked with and I've felt like the men I've worked with have treated me as a partner," she said.

To that end, Women's History Month and the recently celebrated International Women's Day hold a special meaning to Wielgus. As women continue to make great strides in both broadcasting and the workplace in general, she feels it is a celebration that should continue to grow.

"I love that it's being celebrated more. It's important to celebrate women and give them the credit they deserve. I don't think that women give themselves the credit they deserve," she said, noting that the month-long celebration is important to observe so that history can give women those accolades. "We should celebrate the history of women and I love that it's being celebrated more. I've learned from (the observances of the month) and learned about women in history. 

"There will obviously always be differences and always room for improvement for respect in the workplace," she added, noting one difference between the sexes that she feels is worthy of mention.

"I would say it seems that women are often asked to take on additional tasks and I think that's because we're not great at saying no or setting boundaries when it comes to taking on too much."

Aside from the media, one thing that Wielgus hopes changes is how our educational system treats the subject of women in history. She feels that school curriculums should go more in depth on the topic, as it's not something she feels was brought up enough - if at all - during her school days.

As for students in today's schools, they now have women like Wielgus who they can both look up to and be inspired by as they make their own marks in the world.

As part of Women's History Month, WKRN has been profiling "remarkable woman" to use as examples as of how far women have advanced in the workplace. These women have shown, that, like Wielgus, females today can both be remarkable and have it all.

How Those Who Have Inspired Me Set Bar High For My Personal Growth

Many people come in and out of a person's life, but only a special few have a lasting impact on the journey taken that makes them a better individual. 

I can honestly trace my own growth to several people who have influenced my own life and, to this day, have inspired me in a variety of ways.

Some of these people I've never acknowledged in person as to how they helped shape and mold who I am, while others are still in my life and continue to make me a better person and I want to show my gratitude in print for the first time.

The first two people I think of go back to my high school days at St. Francis deSales High School in Toledo.

Both Coach Tom Stevens and Coach Chris Albright influenced me for different reasons.

For Stevens, it was his constant encouragement to follow my own career path and brotherly advice he gave when I wasn't getting the support I needed at home.

Coach Albright inspired me for an entirely different reason, as his love for government and political science classes was contagious to a teen who already found both subjects fascinating. 

His insights and take no prisoners type of instruction encouraged me to take an active role in the political process, something I have continued to some extent even to this day.

In college, it was another coach who took me under his wings and made a positive impact on my future just by being there.

Legendary University of Toledo basketball coach Bobby Nichols was an icon long before I showed up on the hollowed grounds at UT.

Being a reporter, and later editor for the college newspaper, The Collegian, I longed to get an interview from the iconic coach, who was known to be media shy and a man of few words.

After initially granting me an interview,  I did my absolute best to ensure the quality of my work would measure up to his lofty standards. 

Luckily, it did, as we became close throughout the rest of my years at UT, both as a mentor and a confidante. He showed me how important loyalty was and how vital it was to get the facts straight when writing.

He also taught me the importance of media contacts and how to not betray that trust a person gives you for the sake of a story or a gratuitous headline - both important things to remember in my eventual career as a journalist.

Knowing when off the record meant exactly that is something he taught me and proved that once you have someone's trust, they will come to you with the exclusive because you didn't betray that bond in the past.

The highlights of my time at UT was having Coach Nichols accept my invitation to my college newspaper's year-end banquet, an appearance none of my peers could believe would happen, and his memorable calls to my office on the campus to come by his office to talk about the anatomy of basketball coaching or just shoot the breeze.

Those chats ironically enough, also provided me with valuable anatomy of life lessons that I hold close to my heart even to this day.

In fact the whole idea of this column and ultimately our Bedford Press Roving Reporter question this issue came about from watching a recent UT basketball game on the CBS Sports Network where they did a short tribute to the coach and made me remember all the things he had taught me some 30 plus years ago.

My next person who inspired me actually was the focus of an entire feature and side column in a recent edition of The Bedford Press. Interviewing Kaye Lani Rae Rafko in 1987 when she was Miss Michigan prior to her being crowned Miss America 1988, I could see she was someone special. 

Her ultimate victory and subsequent work she did during her reign - and more importantly after it - inspired me to become an active volunteer in the Miss America Program and later a member of the board of directors for the Miss Florida Scholarship Program.  

Using my talents and gifts to encourage and inspire people was a gift I could give back to others, just as Rafko's tireless work on behalf of the nursing profession and her work for the terminally ill was a passion she gave back to the entire country. 

Perhaps, because my own mother was terminally ill at the time of Rakfo's crowning, it created an instant bond between what she was doing and what I was dealing with. Either way, she inspired - and continues to inspire me - with her devotion to community service and humanity.

My next person who has inspired me since the day I met her is Karen Bankowski Daggett.

She gave me a writing job when I needed one out of college and, now years later, has given me another opportunity to do what I Iove and what I know I'm called to do. Her faith in me and encouragement to do my best fuels me today as it did 30 years ago.

She makes me think outside the box and challenges me to do my best, always.

What is particularly inspiring to me about her is her never give up attitude that permeates through everything she does. Faced with her own personal loss of a daughter at an early age, she continues to remain positive and wants to see the good in people and for all of us who work for her to reflect that in our work by writing and providing the community with uplifting, positive stories that build people up, rather than tear them down.

Her community service work throughout the years only highlights the attitude that she lives her life by and she runs her newspaper with that same mantra.

In a time where print publications are fading away and people get their news and information mainly through both television and the internet, she has never compromised her integrity and continues to publish a positive community newspaper, often at times at the expense of her own bank account.

She believes in the good in people and wants to reflect that in the newspaper she prints. Those are all admirable qualities that should be praised, honored and emulated by people in today's topsy, turvy society.

More often than not people in your workplace are just that, people you associate with and not particularly inspiring.

Randy LoFaso, my manager at Sears in Ohio, is a an exception. He's different. 

From even before I had applied for a job there, I was immediately struck by how he was hands-on with his job, helping his associates put up displays, while also paying close attention to the needs of the customers in his store. 

I wanted to work there because I knew he was a person who would make the job enjoyable because he cared about what he was doing.

He took a chance on me when I was in desperate need of a job and only had limited retail experience and mentored and supported me, promoting me and seeing the potential in me before I even saw it in myself.

Subsequently,  we have both gone on to different careers, but he continues to offer me advice and has my back always,  just as I have his. He's a real role model to me and we need more leaders in the workplace like Randy.

Finally,  the last person. who inspires me is someone I've never met in person, yet he feels like a brother to me. 

I first became a fan of Kevin Weekes when he played in the National Hockey League. I became an even bigger fan of his after his career came to an end and he became the lead analyst on the NHL Network.

His insights and commentary are always spot on, but that's not the most important thing about Weekes.

His giving back to the community and tireless efforts to encourage young athletes to see their full potential are traits that makes him even more special. He definitely sets a great example for others to aspire to and emulate. 

Through social media contacts throughout the past few years, I've gotten to know the man behind the goaltender's mask. He goes above and beyond for his fans, family, friends and society in general. He has encouraged me when I'm down and even made sure I was recovering after a hospital stay.

More importantly,  he has inspired me to take a renewed interest in community activism and in standing up for what is right.

Hearing his own story on how he had been treated as both a black player in a predominantly white man's sport and the discrimination he has faced in general due to the color of his skin both angered and saddened me, as it shows just how little we have progressed as a society and how far we have to go to achieve true equality. 

His work in founding a grassroots initiative that brings the sport -  and shows the benefits of it - to disadvantaged and minority children is just one prime example of how he goes the extra mile to give back to the community and is just one of many reasons I hold him in such high esteem.

He is an ambassador for not only the sport,  but to community activism and reflects the verse that to those whom much is given - all of which he earned through hard work,  tenacity and dedication - much is required.

That he is not afraid to share his story and to share his views, has encouraged me to go the extra mile and do more to support the cause that is so critical to the future success of society. 

In an era where there are many athletes who make the headlines for their bad behavior off the playing field, Weekes stands out for his exceptional compassion toward people and his continued work to advocate for justice and equality for all. 

And he proves to me that I'm not too old to grow, to do more, to do better and to, perhaps, inspire people, just like he and those others I've written about here have inspired me. 

Gist Uses Life After The Crown To Promote Fitness

"Run your race."

That was pretty much Carole Gist's mantra on her way to capturing the 1990 Miss USA crown and also is basically how she has lived her life since she surrendered the title.

In the years since capturing the crown, Gist has maintained an active professional life that even the go-getter would have difficulty keeping up with.

In addition to continuing to being an advocate for those less fortunate, including those who have low self-esteem issues or have experienced physical abuse, Gist has plans to write a book, or even possibly, a series of books chronicling everything from her pageant and life experiences to nutrition and fitness, the latter of which she has taken to the next level in several different ways.

"I'm trying to figure out how to package the story," she said, adding, that the book and ideas have been years in the making, but "it was so hard for to write in the beginning, it was making me vulnerable to share (her life story) I feel ready now."

Now being focused on moving forward, Gist says she wants the book to inspire others.

"I feel better and am happiest in life when I'm helping other people," she said, adding, that she wants to get back on the speaking circuit and talk about moving forward and overcoming life's challenges.

"Be the best you," she said.

Since 2006, Gist has worked for the athletic department at Wayne State University and now oversees the wellness department.

In her current role, she oversees the hiring of teachers, instructors and trainers and was the first female head trainer in the school's history.

As with any position, Gist had to work her way up the ladder, as she noted that in the beginning of her stint at Wayne State she strictly taught fitness classes, something she still enjoys to this day. Her current role sees her still teaching to physical education majors and members of the school's athletic department and kinesiology program.

Gist recently received her second masters degree - this one in sports administration, the first was in kinesiology  (the study of the mechanics of body movements) - from Wayne State and also runs her own private business, Royal Physique Fitness, under the auspice of the Gist Group, which she founded in 2006. The business was formed to encompass all that she was doing both personally and professionally.

In addition to her hectic career, Gist has also raised her daughter, now 28, and son, 23, basically as a single parent.

"They are a source of pride for me," she said.

She also loves archery and is preparing for competition with the Elite Angels Archery Team.

Just how does Gist keep up such an active lifestyle?

The answer is fairly simple.

"It's a journey that I'm on," she said, noting that even she can be overwhelmed by her hectic schedule at times. "Many times, I have felt that way, but I just love keeping it moving. It's a fine balance. Balance is important and key."

She explained that for her the key to balancing everything is to take a vacation every so often and take one day a week just for yourself, and "have a good calendar," she joked.

Saying that fitness is a way of life for her and that it saved her life, it was a key to her winning the Miss USA title and is something she enjoys and feels is important in moving her life forward.

As for pageant naysayers who are against the controversial swimsuit portion of the Miss USA Pageant, Gist explains why she feels it's an important aspect of the competition and why young women competing for the title should embrace it.

"I'm fine with it," she said, explaining "It shows poise and grace under pressure and is as close to being vulnerable as you can be."

Since most young women work out anyway, she feels the swimsuit portion is a good avenue for them to show the fruits of their labors.

"It speaks to being persistent to a goal. I don't think it's sexist at all, no more so than a bodybuilding competition," she said, noting that the men and women in those such competitions often are clad in much less than pageant contestants wear during the swimsuit phase of the pageant.

With many changes having taken place since Gist won her crown 31 years ago, she said she is hopeful that new Miss USA executive director, Crystle Stewart, who also won the national title in 2008, will take the pageant in a direction more reminiscent of what it was when she competed.

One thing that has changed for the positive, she said, is that so many of the women competing in today's Miss USA system are already grounded in their careers and have a maturity most contestants of her era lacked.

She explained that the median age of competitors has gone up in the ensuing 30 years since she won and that many - if not most - of the contestants today now have already graduated college and are pursuing their careers, traits she sees as positives in the evolution of the pageant.

"The big difference is women having already graduated and they are professionals already. We were all still in school," she said, noting that she likes that the percentages of the three competitions have remained the same since her days of competing, with swimsuit, evening gown and interview all weighing equally in choosing the five finalists.

She does hope that under Stewart's auspice the pageant gets back to its more glamorous days that featured the military escorts and long, elegant staircases for evening gown, and many other things that were once staples of the broadcast.

She also has pointed words for what the pageant became under the auspice of Donald Trump, who owned it from 1996-2015.

"It was a lingerie show versus a pageant," she said. "I was really disappointed."

Having gone back to many pageants now over the years, Gist said she embraces her own victory and hopes the young women who have followed her also realize what a value having the Miss USA crown can be.

Gist, like pageant enthusiasts around the world, is hopeful that at the beginning of this new decade and new era of the Miss USA Pageant, the system can look proudly back at its history and embrace it as it moves forward with even greater purpose in the coming years.

And with her iconic and history-making win now behind her, Gist has contributed to both the history and the Confidently Beautiful mantra the pageant has taken as its slogan in recent years.

For more details on Carole, go to www.carolegist.com 

Iconic Miss USA Winner Discusses Her Trailblazing Win

Talk about a twist of fate.

Carole Gist blazed trails as the first black woman to win the Miss USA crown. 

However, her iconic 1990 win almost didn't happen at all.

Having already entered the Miss Michigan USA Pageant that would be the state title that led her to her national victory, Gist had actually decided not to participate in it.

And that's where fate intervened, in the form of a tuition balance she owed from Northwood College, where she was taking undergraduate courses.

For the eventual winner, even entering in the first place took some prompting from a model friend of hers, Anthonia Dotson, who just happened to be Miss Michigan USA 1988.

"Anthonia Dotson said you should apply. She used to say you'd be a great Miss USA," Gist said, adding, "and I said I'm not going to do that, I'm not going to win."

With continued encouragement from Dotson, Gist did eventually enter for the 1989 pageant,  though she mentioned, "I applied and then showed up for judging just to be considered as a delegate."

After receiving an acceptance letter for her entry to the pageant, she said "I don't want to do this and threw the letter away."

That's where, a year later, the fate entered, as on the same day Gist received a letter from her college saying that she was short for the next semester's tuition, she received a follow-up letter from the pageant saying that she was still eligible to compete in the 1990 competition based on her acceptance to the 1989 contest.

Deciding to do it to raise that needed tuition money, Gist said "I had a vision of just placing," and joked that the small amounts of donations she quickly received from different people to enter and get some wardrobe pieces would have actually paid the tuition.

After having decided to compete in the state pageant, Gist had only four days to raise money to participate and find a wardrobe for the event.

Obviously, the last-minute decision paid off, as she won the state crown and was soon on her way to Wichita, Kansas, site of the 1990 Miss USA Pageant, where she would make history for three reasons.

In addition to being the first black woman crowned, she also was the first Miss Michigan to win the title and her victory ended an unprecedented five-year win streak by the state of Texas.

Winning the state crown in a gown Gist describes as a "white , layered poofy dress," Gist impressed the judges enough to win the title and advance to the national competition, albeit without a lot of the wardrobe and coaching young women from more typical pageant states such as Texas, California and Florida had.

Other than her pageant directors, "I didn't have pageant coaches," she said, adding that as a student and an athlete - with scholarships in both track and volleyball - her participation in sports got her into shape and she didn't need a personal trainer.

Also, being a pompom girl for the school's basketball team contributed to Gist being in great shape. And, besides her participation in sports, she would take the stairs instead of an elevator and purposely park her car farther away at school so she could walk to her classes. 

Her pageant directors prepped her for interview, but Gist said she already paid close attention to the news due to the government and economic courses she had enrolled in at Northwood.

"I was an athlete and didn't need a personal trainer," she said, adding that for her studies she would watch CNN and read various newspapers to prepare her for the grueling interview process, that, more often than not, determines the actual winner.

"That was the extent of my pageant preparation," she said, noting, though, that she had modeled since the age of 12 and knew how to project herself on stage.

Although she may have not been as prepared as contestants from typical pageant states, she arrived in Wichita ready to compete.

"Being from the Midwest, it was not pageant central, however, I didn't feel intimidated by the girls from the Southern states and California."

For the most part.

Gist does admit to having a few moments when she first arrived in Wichita where she did doubt herself and felt she didn't belong there, but those thoughts were short lived once she basically had a come to Jesus moment where she realized she was worthy of the competition and would just be her best version of Carole that she could be.

"I did feel intimidated initially when I first arrived," she said, adding she was thinking, "Here's this black girl competing against all these other blondes and tall brunettes. I just wanted to turn around and go back to the airport. Then I had a spiritual moment where I felt a tug on me and it made me realize that I deserved to be here."

It paid off, for Gist, who said she enjoyed the pageant experience and her other contestants immensely during her weeks leading up to the nationally televised pageant.

"I never had a negative pageant experience with girls being catty," she said, adding that she actually helped other contestants get ready backstage at times at the competition.

"I love that about me," Gist continued. "It doesn't take anything away from me to help another beautiful woman. It help pushes you to be your best. I'm not in competition with the next person in line, I'm in competition with me. You should compete against yourself to be the best person you can be.

"I just went up and introduced myself to the other girls and told myself I wasn't going to be uncomfortable. I just wanted to make me, my state and my family proud," she added.

And Gist even noted that she felt less pressure about the pageant than some of the other more seasoned competitors, especially Miss Texas, who had the legacy of the five other national winners from the Lone Star State to try and uphold.

"I saw the pressure Miss Texas was under and I prayed with and encouraged her. I cared about the human. I hope I left an impression on her for my actions that week," Gist said.

Those are actually words to live by for not only pageant contestants, but for everyone. And by living her life like that, Gist said "then you have nothing to regret, you have nothing to be ashamed of."

While Gist had no regrets about her Miss USA competition, she did have a major regret about her Miss Universe one.

After the final question at Miss USA, Gist said she felt good about her response and realized that over thinking and being self critical about her answer was a waste of time. At that point, "It was over, so just be proud of this moment," she noted.

Leaving that stage with the crown left Gist floating on cloud nine, as one would expect, although certain things did enter her mind in the moments after winning the title.

"I was thanking God and then my next thought was now maybe my family would accept me. I was always seeking approval from my family, which was due to the dynamics from how I had lived," Gist said, noting that both her father and mother had suffered from addiction at various points in her life and she had to often raise herself and seek her own approval rather than theirs.

"I was always trying to be what I thought made my family happy," she said, adding that it took years for her to recover from that and garner the amount of self esteem and pride in herself she has now.

After a short appearance at the coronation ball, Gist soon realized how different her life would be as Miss USA, as she was taken back to her room and was not allowed to have her family there, something she mentioned to them later as needing to be corrected for future titleholders.

At that point, "It was the saddest moment of the night for me. I had no family there and was hungry. I was excited and not allowed to share that with them," she said.

Having borrowed almost all her wardrobe - save her interview suit - from the wife of her boss at the hotel she had been working at in Midland, Michigan, prior to winning, Gist said the first stop they made en route to her first appearances in New York as Miss USA was to Dallas, where one of the sponsors of the pageant, JC Penney, provided her with some ensembles for her media tour and initial appearances as the national winner.

Following her win, Gist had only about a month to prepare for the Miss Universe Pageant held in April in Los Angeles. And that's where the aforementioned regret she has comes into play.

Basically exhausted by that point due to many appearances and the lack of down time in between Miss USA and Miss Universe, Gist said "I was rundown and didn't fell well. I was dropping cough drops into hot tea."

Despite not feeling 100 percent, Gist was one of three young women still left standing at the conclusion of the international event.

That pageant resulted in actually two regrets for the stately titleholder, who at 6-0 is one of the tallest Miss USA winners of all time.

The first thing she regrets she had no control over, the second one directly impacted her eventual first runner-up finish at the international event.

The pageant was originally scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka, but was moved to Los Angeles, and Gist was all excited about traveling abroad for the first time, save trips to Canada and the Bahamas, in her past.

The second regret is one she has to this day and is a source of great advice for pageant participants everywhere about second guessing things when competing.

The final question that year was if you were a judge who would you choose as Miss Universe and why?

"That was not the answer I had on my lips," she said, noting that she wanted to promote her candidacy to the judges, but "I thought that was arrogant and I would sound conceited to say myself."

At the coronation ball following the pageant, some of the judges came up to her and asked her why she gave that answer "The judges said, why did you hold back," she said, noting that had she gone with what was in her heart she would have won the pageant instead of placing as first runner up.

During her ensuing year as Miss USA, Gist lived in LA with the winner of the Miss Universe Pageant, Mona Grudt of Norway, and found that they shared similar stories and paths on to their national victories.

Both Gist and Grudt came from humble upbringings and didn't have a lot of money to buy clothes for their national pageants. That provided an instant bond between the two who "got along great" and enjoyed their living arrangements and their reigns.

And while Gist also enjoyed traveling the nation and being a representative for young people, especially in her role as an ambassador to the Boys and Girls Clubs, there were things that she didn't relish about her time as Miss USA.

Having been vocal about some of her treatment by pageant officials during her year as Miss USA, she noted that she also did not receive some of her promised prizes for winning and she spoke out about it during and after her reign, comments and actions she does not regret even if it possibly had an adverse effect on her later career aspirations in California upon relinquishing the crown.

"The prizes were not always what they said and the prize money was a salary," Gist said, noting, that other former winners had to deal with the same problems and she chose to speak out against it to protect future winners.

Putting those negatives aside, Gist says she does not regret entering nor her eventual reign, especially because of the impact she was able to have with at-risk youth, a cause she still champions.

"I had a heart for at-risk youth because that could have been me. I was driven to not be a statistic," she said, noting that at at one time in her life she had lived in a car and had to hold down three jobs at a time just to survive.

Her mantra to those she met at her Boys and Girls Clubs appearances was clear and resonating because it basically told her own life story.

"No matter what stumbling blocks or potholes life throws in your path, don't let it derail your path to achieving your dreams."

Gist noted that during her reign she soon realized the title was not "about me or for me," a sentiment that became pointedly clear as she appeared at children's hospitals and detention centers in addition to her work with the Boys and Girls Clubs.

"Don't waste the life you have or could have holding on to the thoughts or the hopes of a life you wished you had or felt you should have had," she said.

And, as has been noted, Gist's win was trailblazing and historic, both notes that weren't lost on the queen during and even after her reign.

"I kind of did see myself as a trailblazer," Gist said, adding that she had always had high aspirations, including to become the first female and black general manager of a Ritz-Carlton property.

And being a trailblazer as the first black Miss USA didn't come without pitfalls, as Gist said she received death threats during her reign, though she was basically shielded from them and only discovered the extent of the threats after her year was over.

"I got letters from people who weren't happy and I was like, 'Really? It was just a pageant,' she said. "I just wanted to spread joy and love."

Unfortunately, even today, black youth face some of the same discrimination Gist grew up with and had to deal with during her year as Miss USA and she notes that "we shouldn't have to be saying Black Lives Matter," but part of the problem has stemmed from others who do not support racism not voicing their opinions against those who do.

"That has always been a part of the problem,". Your silence is acceptance," Gist said.

As a trailblazing Miss USA, who paved the way for 10 other women of color to eventually succeed her to the throne, Gist is proud of her accomplishments, And, despite the pitfalls that any job has, she reflects now, almost 31 years later, with fondness on the year she served the nation and the the impact she made throughout the country.

With history on her side, Gist definitely maintained the integrity her predecessors brought to the crown and added her own luster to the title that her 30 other successor have worked hard to emulate.

In Part Two of my interview with Carole Gist, she will give her thoughts on the current state of the Miss USA Pageant and what she thinks of the controversial swimsuit portion of the event.