Photo courtesy of Miss Alabama
Katherine Grigsby will represent Vestavia Hills this week when she competes in the 2026 Miss Alabama competition, set for Wednesday through Saturday, June 3-6, at the Leslie S. Wright Fine Arts Center at Samford University in Birmingham.
Grigsby is a kinesiology major at the University of Alabama with plans to pursue a doctorate in physical therapy at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, specializing in pediatric care. She is also a member of Alabama's Million Dollar Band, where she plays clarinet.
Her community service initiative centers on Sleep in Heavenly Peace, a nonprofit that builds beds for children in need. Grigsby has raised more than $200,000 and helped build more than 1,000 beds through the organization, co-founding the Birmingham South chapter at age 14 alongside her mother.
For the talent competition, Grigsby performs a piano piece, "Nostradamus."
Her path to the Miss Alabama stage is anything but conventional. Before competing in pageantry at the Miss level, Grigsby was a competitive wrestler at Hewitt-Trussville High School, winning a state championship at the 114-pound weight class. She has been involved in pageants since age 3 and previously competed as Miss Hamilton's Teen, finishing as second runner-up at Miss Alabama's Teen 2025.
Preliminary competition nights are at 7 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, with the crowning ceremony on Saturday at 7 p.m. Grigsby is scheduled to perform her talent on Wednesday, June 4, as part of her preliminary group.
Grigsby was identified as one of seven finalists for a science, technology, engineering and math scholarship. The winner is to be announced at an awards breakfast Saturday morning.
