Jodi Byers, 26, of Allegan was crowned Mrs. Michigan America 2018, on April 29, at the Hilton in Grand Rapids. She made her first official appearance at the Tulip Time parade and will be appearing in many more parades, community events and special appearances.
Byers is married to Caleb, who grew up in Allegan. She grew up in Shelby and is a graduate of Hope College where she obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications.
Byers currently teaches kindergarten at Otsego Christian Academy where her young students helped with the color and design of her dress.
While in college, she has competed several times in Miss America pageants. In competition, her platform is as a brain injury survivor.
While a junior in college, she passed out at church camp and hit her head on the cement, receiving a concussion. All seemed fine, but a week later after flying home, she began experiencing post concussion syndrome, losing all cognitive abilities, short-term memory loss and functioning at a kindergarten level.
“I had to take the semester off and learn how to function again,” she said. “I recovered six months later and went back in college.”
She is now an advocate for brain injury awareness and prevention and has partnered with the Brain Injury Association of Michigan as a spokesperson. She travels the state to community events, support groups, fundraisers and athletic departments, where she shares her own personal story.
Her goal is to continue educating and raising support for those affected by brain injuries, as well as helping to raise the youngest generation of Christians.
Mrs. Michigan America is the preliminary to the Mrs. America Pageant competition, which celebrates and recognizes married women as valuable assets and role models in their communities. Byers will be representing the state in the competition Aug. 25 in Las Vegas.
Virginia Ransbottom can be contacted at vransbottom@allegannews.com or at (269) 673-5534.
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