Miss Florida Ashley Cariño speaks during a press conference with Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez on Dec. 14, 2021 to address announce an anti-bullying campaign.
Miss Florida pageant winner Ashley Cariño acknowledged this week that God is the reason she is where she is today but added that she never specifically asked God to win the statewide beauty pageant.
“I was raised in the Church,” Cariño, the second runner-up of the recent Miss USA contest, shared in an interview Tuesday with CBN’s “PrayerLink.”
The Puerto Rican native, who moved to Florida when she was 5, stressed that life is about serving God despite the challenges that come our way.
“For me, God has always been my stepping stone. Religion and faith have been an important part of my life, and I know I am not where I am today if it wasn’t for Him,” the 27-year-old testified.
She added that her New Year's resolution has always been "for God to give me new opportunities and this year, I actually asked that."
"I had already signed up for Miss Florida USA. But instead of asking, 'God, I want to win Miss Florida USA,' I was just asking for opportunities," she said. "He delivered an abundance of that."
“God has opened doors to so many opportunities. It’s just been a whirlwind,” Cariño continued.
One of the things God has blessed Cariño with is a bigger platform to launch anti-bullying campaigns.
Cariño said she was bullied in middle school and high school because she wore a back brace due to scoliosis. But it was the love and support of her parents that got her through that difficult time. Ever since she has dedicated her platform to speaking out against bullying.