About Autumn Kinkade with Cerebral Palsy

She weighed one pound and 12 ounces at birth. She has cerebral palsy, and she strives to be an inspiration to others. She said she wants to change the world “one ability at a time.”

Kinkade’s life changed after she was encouraged to enter pageants by her mother, Dawn Meeker-Buckner. Initially hesitant about entering the pageant world, Kinkade won the first pageant she entered in 2014.  I won Miss Amazing, Oklahoma. After that, I became hooked on pageantry. 

 That gave her a confidence boost and led to her becoming a model and motivational speaker.   

 Over the next couple of years, I went on to win a number of pageants and awards including:

• National Miss You Can Do It
• National Miss Abilities
• National Miss Congeniality for Miss High School America (I was the only disabled contestant out of 150) 
• National Miss Amazing Runner-up 
• The Presidential Volunteer Service Award 

 I also was named Extraordinary Person of the Year by an organization called Come on In Inc for my leadership and volunteer service. That year I also became an ambassador for this organization. 

 The modeling venture took off after Kinkade was contacted by former “America’s Next Top Model” participant Victoria Henley in March. Kinkade said she had been referred to Henley by Jera Lynn Anders, the director of a faith-based pageant. In April, Kinkade began modeling with Henley and has since traveled all over the the country for runway shows and photo shoots. 

 “I never thought in a million years that I, a girl from a small town with a disability, would be living this dream,” she said.

Kinkade said she switched to home schooling for her junior year so she could continue to work on her modeling career.

“My goal is to graduate a year early and do an online college and study the Bible and just continue to do modeling and motivational speaking, if that’s in God’s will, and hopefully become a pastor,” she said.

Please call for information on availability for 2021.  Thank you and God Bless