Elkhart native Mrs. Indiana heads to Las Vegas to compete for national crown

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- An Elkhart native is taking off for Las Vegas Thursday to compete in Mrs. America 2018.

You've most likely heard her name before. Mekayla Eppers is the former Miss Indiana USA 2014. And she gained even more notoriety after competing in the Miss USA 2014 pageant, when she became a social media star for her "normal" figure in the swimsuit competition.

She didn't win Miss USA. But she did win Mrs. Indiana last Spring. Now she'll move on to compete in the Mrs. America pageant in just over a week.

ABC 57 Morning Anchor Emily Evans sat down with her Wednesday to talk about what platform she's advocating this time around.

"It's something that I have created. It's called the feather project. With my fitness coaching that I help a lot of my own clients, I use the Native American feather as a teaching. It's one of my favorite teachings. I am Native American. And it's one that really resonated with me. And it's the teaching of really finding true health and balance in your life," Eppers said.

She also shared with us what she hopes to do during her reign as Mrs. Indiana.

"I'm hoping to be able to create a non-profit organization to provide scholarships for local kids here in the state of Indiana who are in foster care. I was in foster care for a short stint. And I want to help provide a future for someone who had dreams like I did, no matter what their past looks like," Eppers said.

You can watch the pageant live online here August 26 at 7 p.m.

And to learn more about Mekayla and follow her journey to the Mrs. America crown, check out her Facebook and Twitter pages.