Katrina Kincade Makes History as First Muslim Miss Massachusetts
Katrina Kincade spent her childhood watching Miss America competitions, eyes wide at each contestant’s accolades on the TV.
When Kincade—now a reporter for WBZ-TV in Boston—was studying at American University, she came across a flyer for Miss DC—leading her down a long and successful road of competing. The Boston native is now preparing to compete in this year’s Miss America as Miss Massachusetts, to be watched in awe by children across the country as she once did.
“There are no thoughts I think that anybody has other than just joyous emotion, which leads to joyous crying,” she says. “You don’t really think about it—at least I didn’t really think about it—until that night after all of the post-competition festivities are done.”
It was not until later that night in July, when it was only a crown, a sash and herself when she recognized her accomplishment. In a country that is lacking positive representation of Muslim women, instilling a beacon of representation to the Muslim community.
“I think that being someone who can be out there to show that we can be whoever we want to be, we can talk about whatever topics we want to talk about. I think that is what makes me the happiest to be in this role—to be able to say ‘I am a Muslim woman and I can talk about anything I want!”
The former Miss North Shore did not start competing until she was 19, but her first memory of Miss America dates to the first Indian Miss America, Nina Davuluri. For her talent component, Davuluri performed a Bollywood dance in a traditional Indian outfit. Kincade observed a moment that would be etched into the history of Miss America, shifting the cultural imbalance in the line of former winners.
“I just remember thinking it was so cool that this Indian chick was up there—being authentically herself, performing something that was inherent to her culture unabashedly. And then she won, and I remember after the talent, I was like ‘That’s the girl right there.’”
Having to navigate the transition from preparing for Miss Massachusetts to Miss America, she prefers to deviate from seeing a distinction between the two, seeing that doing so alarms her. The American University alumna lives with general anxiety disorder. Kincade says that this has diminished her confidence throughout the years, principally in her voice, which is the anchor of her talent component. Fortunately, the people Kincade surrounds herself with avail her to stand tall with her sash laid delicately and crown sat centrally.
“I could not do the things that I want to do without being able to rely on my team to ask things,” she says. “It can be a lot of pressure to put on yourself to compete at such a big level that if you don’t have people who are there to support you and be real with you, it can be very hard.”
Kincade comes from a news-centric household. Whether in the morning or after school, the news was always the dedicated ambience at home.
At a mere eight years old, Kincade got her first taste of journalism on her father’s broadcast program on Boston Neighborhood Network’s “Age Wise Boston.” As a junior journalist, she would read and give her opinion on children’s books about Alzheimer's, in honor of her grandmother, on the air. Although the call-in listeners were her cousins, that was the steppingstone she needed to become the embellished journalist she is today.
“As I grew up, I realized, I talked a lot and if I could hone what I wasn’t afraid to do, which is public speaking and talking to strangers,” she says. “If I could hone that in to telling the stories of people who don’t have that then I can make a pretty good impact in my community.”
At 5:30 a.m., a young Kincade would wake up to take the bus to Wellesley Public School with METCO—a desegregation program that transports children of color to predominantly white schools with high-performing education systems. Today, Kincade thanks the fabric of her educational experience for her perspective on distinguishing qualities between socio-economic environments and their impact.
As a reporter for WBZ-TV, Kincade dedicates most of her career seeking stories from underrepresented communities. Routinely, Kincade’s alarm goes off at 2 a.m. and she works from 3 a.m. to 11 a.m. where she takes on a general assignment for the morning program and a community and diversity story. She laughs to herself, asking why she starts her day at the devil’s hour, but reminds herself of the opportunities she has in the afternoon. Once work is done in the morning, she makes her way to either a school or community organization to read to children.
Whether she’s wearing her sash or reading from a teleprompter, Kincade’s priorities are tied to placing representation at the front line. Representation Matters is her official social impact as Miss Massachusetts, but, additionally, she is 15-year Special Olympics volunteer.
“I think that there’s never anything wrong with embracing diversity and it can only make ourselves, companies, [and] communities grow bigger and better from having so much diverse thought and I think that that starts with storytelling.”
Kincade’s drive to give a voice to marginalized communities doesn’t come from nothing. With her younger brother on the autism spectrum, she witnessed instances where he was bullied in school. As a child with optimistic eyes, she could not understand why people were picking on him.
“That made me think and realize how much further and how much work we can do as a society to accept and learn how to embrace differences on all levels. I would say my brother is the biggest impact on my life growing up and what’s shaped me.”
When the early morning shifts start too soon and the Miss America paperwork is stacked too high, Kincade grabs her keys, gets in the car, and finds a pretty neighborhood to drive through.
“There’s not a lot of time I just have to sit with myself in my own bubble and really sit and process all the thoughts.”
At 25 years old, Kincade is achieving her dream, reporting for the Boston area. With her newfound potential to hold the title of Miss America, her eyes have been opened to a world of new opportunities.
Once the 2022 Miss America competition rolls around and Kincade represents Massachusetts, she intends to use her platform to travel and share more untold stories with the world. Kincade says whether it’s from Alaska or a small town in Nevada, she hopes to amplify stories that will impact the nation.
“My big picture would be to continue to be a storyteller and I’ve thought about the various ways I can do that. Being Miss America, if I am chosen to, would give me the opportunity to see so many stories and talk to so many people.”
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