Jill Stevens (born February 28, 1983) is a

Miss Utah The Miss Utah competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Utah in the Miss America competition. Two Miss Utah titleholders have won the Miss America pageant. Paris Matthews of Salt Lake City was crowned Miss Ut ...

2007. She was chosen as Miss

Southern Utah University Southern Utah University (SUU) is a public university in Cedar City, Utah, United States. Founded in 1897 as a normal school, Southern Utah University now has over 1,800 graduates each year with baccalaureate and other graduate degrees from its ...

and Miss Davis County. She is a

combat medic A combat medic is responsible for providing emergency medicine, emergency medical treatment at a point of wounding in a combat or training environment, as well as primary care and health protection and evacuation from a point of injury or illnes ...

in the

Utah Army National Guard The Utah National Guard comprises both Army National Guard, Army and Air National Guard components. The United States Constitution, Constitution of the United States specifically charges the National Guard with dual federal and state missions. Th ...

and served as a medic during an 18-month tour in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

from 2004 to 2006 supporting

Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used by the U.S. government for both the first stage (2001–2014) of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response ...

Biography

A member of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

, Stevens grew up in Utah's Davis County. Her mother is a member of the

Mormon Tabernacle Choir The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, formerly known as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, is an American choir affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It has performed in the Salt Lake Tabernacle for o ...

. Stevens joined the

Army National Guard The Army National Guard (ARNG) is an organized Militia (United States), militia force and a Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces, federal military reserve force of the United States Army. It is simultaneously part of two differen ...

six months before

9/11 The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

. In November 2003, she was deployed to Afghanistan, returning home in April 2005. She has earned five medals for her outstanding service S was the first female finisher of the inaugural Afghanistan Marathon, making a total of 12 marathons she has completed together with earning the highest Fitness award during Army Basic Training. In representing the Army National Guard, Sergeant Stevens addressed generals from 40 different nations gathered at

Hill Air Force Base Hill Air Force Base is a major U.S. Air Force (USAF) base located in Davis County, Utah, just south of the city of Ogden, and bordering the Cities of Layton, Clearfield, Riverdale, Roy, and Sunset with its largest border immediately adja ...

. Stevens graduated

summa cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

from the

nursing Nursing is a health care profession that "integrates the art and science of caring and focuses on the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and human functioning; prevention of illness and injury; facilitation of healing; and alle ...

program at Southern Utah University on a four-year leadership scholarship. She placed third in the Cinco De Mayo Sailboat Regatta in Mexico. She was chosen as one of four "Women of Strength" featured in '' Muscle & Fitness Hers'' magazine's September/October 2007 issue. Stevens has been a fitness instructor for

Gold's Gym Gold's Gym International, Inc. is an American chain of international wikt:co-ed, co-ed fitness centers (commonly referred to as gyms) originally started by Joe Gold in Venice, Los Angeles, Venice Beach, California. Each gym offers a variety of ca ...

for several years, as well as a bread baker for Great Harvest. Stevens was Miss Utah 2007, and competed in the Miss America Pageant in January 2008. On January 26, 2008, she was named the "America's Choice" semi-finalist in the

Miss America 2008 Miss America 2008, the 81st Miss America pageant, was held on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, on Saturday, January 26, 2008. The pageant was broadcast live on TLC from the Theatre for the Performing Arts at the Planet Hollywood Resort a ...

pageant. This was the first time a 16th semi-finalist was named in the competition, and she was the only semi-finalist not to be selected by the judges. Stevens was eliminated after the swimsuit competition, along with five other semi-finalists. She was the only contestant to wear a one-piece swimsuit. When her name was announced, she dropped to the stage and started doing

push-up The push-up (press-up in British English) is a common calisthenics Physical exercise, exercise beginning from the prone position. By raising and lowering the body using the arms, push-ups exercise the pectoralis major muscle, pectoral muscl ...

s. Stevens is a member of the MormonTimes.com racing team. Stevens married Kerry Shepherd in January 2009.

References

Sources

* * *
G.I. Jill
by Joshua Hudson, May 2008, ''G.I. Jobs'' magazine

External links

*
ARMY.MIL - G.I. Jill Journal
by Jill Stevens, {{DEFAULTSORT:Stevens, Jill 1983 births Living people American Latter Day Saints United States Army personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Miss America 2008 delegates Southern Utah University alumni United States Army soldiers Women in the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Women in the United States Army Place of birth missing (living people) People from Davis County, Utah