Photos provided by Kathryn Faull.

Not long after walking across the stage at Redwood Bowl, Kathryn Faull is taking the stage at the Miss California beauty pageant in Fresno.

The recent Humboldt State Alum is in the midst of representing the San Joaquin Valley in the 2016 pageant, and will be showing off her tap moves today in hopes of representing California in the national Miss America competition.

The 23 year old will also compete in the swimsuit and evening wear competitions on Wednesday, and the on stage competitions on Thursday.

Faull told the Outpost in a phone interview that she’s competed in beauty pageants since she was 19, and has earned thousands of dollars in academic scholarships doing so.

“I’ve won $5,000 that toward my education at HSU so far,” Faull said. “I graduated in December with a degree in kinesiology and a minor in dance, and I’d like to start applying for public health and nutrition graduate programs in the fall.”

The Stockton native has a passion for providing better healthcare and nutrition to the less fortunate. Faull said she spends the holidays seasons volunteering at local organizations to feed the homeless, and uses the beauty competitions as a platform to speak about fighting hunger at home.

When asked why she chose to attend HSU, Faull said she was won over by a pamphlet at a college fair.

“I remember taking home a pamphlet from the HSU booth at a college fair,” Faull said. “I started crying when I read it because it had everything I wanted in a school. It was small, environmentally savvy and had a nice campus. I decided it was the best college for my experience.”

The winner of Miss California will be announced on Saturday. If Faull wins, she will represent California in the Miss America competition on September 11, in Atlantic CIty.