Miss Indiana USA 2014 Mekayla Diehl is proud to advocate for victims of domestic violence and sexual

Miss Indiana USA Mekayla Diehl is shown June 8, 2014, during the swimsuit competition of the Miss USA 2014 pageant in Baton Rouge, La. Diehl gained national attention for her "normal" body after the pageant.(Jonathan Bachman/AP)

The Elkhart woman said the moment she walked across the Miss America USA stage she knew she was going to use her crown to be an advocate for those who were abused, as she was.

A young girl abused at the hands of someone she trusted could easily question her self-worth as she deals with the aftermath. One such girl was handed a crown and called one of the most beautiful women in the country.

On the surface, such a circumstance appears to offer two immediate paths to travel down, not unlike the two roads found in Robert Frost's infamous yellow wood. You can either use this new advantage for your own gain, or you can choose to do great things for others.

Elkhart's Mekayla Diehl found a way to choose both paths in November 2013 when she was crowned Miss Indiana USA 2014.

On this week’s Newsmakers program on the Truth Radio Early Edition, Mekayla joined me in the studio to talk about her experience, what she did with it and what she's doing with it now. She told me from the moment she walked across that stage she had decided she was going to use her crown to be an advocate for those who have suffered domestic violence and sexual abuse.

This decision led her to do work with and for Bashor Children's Home in Goshen while she was wearing the crown. After discussing the idea with her family, Mekayla spoke openly about the sad circumstances of her own sexual abuse as a child, and her desire to feel like a normal person. She talked about how access to services and a circle of people to help her learn to cope made all the difference.

Miss Indiana USA Mekayla Diehl participates in the evening gown competition during the 2014 Miss USA preliminary competition in Baton Rouge, La., on June 4, 2014. (Gerald Herbert/AP)

We can hardly be surprised that she was moved to use her crown to spread that encouragement. Her efforts are helping put a spotlight on these two categories of crimes that have been ignored and overlooked in our society.

The strange irony to all of this is that a woman who grew up with a desire to be “normal” became a pageant queen who gained national notorietyfor "looking like a normal woman instead of a pageant queen." She had her up and down days with the glaring stare of the national media spotlight after Miss USA last June, yet she says she always appreciated the idea that she appeared to be “normal” to the world.

Now she's involved with the new Michiana No More organization. No More is designed to break the silence of sexual abuse and domestic violence, and get help to the people who need it. And in Mekayla Diehl they have found a charming, powerful advocate who will do a lot of good for a lot of people. At the same time, she enriches her own life while staring down the challenges of her past. This will only motivate her to do even more.

Mekayla told the Truth Radio audience that the pageant experience taught her to embrace who she is, even when the situation makes you bigger than you could have dreamed you could be. That message of self-appreciation, in a person driven to improve the lives of those around her, is an impressive combination.

She may not still be wearing a crown, but she remains Elkhart royalty.

You can learn more about Michiana No More at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 12, at the group’s next informational event at O'Rourke's Public House on Angela at Notre Dame.

Newsmakers is heard Wednesday mornings after the 8:30 newscasts on the Truth Radio Early Edition. It's a look behind the stories impacting our lives in and around Elkhart County.

Miss Indiana USA 2014 Mekayla Diehl hands out prizes for the kids' games and contests July 23, 2014, at the Elkhart County 4-H Fair. (James Buck / Elkhart Truth)

This story is from the Elkhart Truth