Wrestling, crowns and community: Katherine Grigsby’s surprising journey to Miss Vestavia Hills

by

At just 19 years old, Katherine Grigsby is a dedicated leader, an empathetic community servant and (according to her family) a “unicorn” — their loving nickname inspired by her fearless dedication to her dreams.

Crowned in September as Miss Vestavia Hills 2026, Katherine’s journey is a testament to perseverance, family ties and the impact one young woman can have on a community.

Her passion for pageants began early, when she was barely walking. Winning Miss Vestavia Hills — her very first Miss Alabama preliminary competition — marks a distinctive milestone. She will compete for Miss Alabama in June. Preparing for that level of competition isn’t just about appearances; it’s about years of personal growth,

Katherine said. “From my very first year competing in the Miss America organization to now, I’m a completely different person,” she said. “I’m definitely not as socially awkward as I used to be. I was so scared of talking to others. Now it’s just second nature. And I really love that I’ve been able to grow in that way.”

Wildly determined almost since birth, Katherine learned music while also learning to catch football passes with her dad, Kevin, and big brother, Stephen. She competed in pageants, earned top grades and was a dedicated gymnast — until a severe ankle injury dashed those dreams. One of life’s biggest challenges would spark a surprise rebound — she became a high school wrestler.

“I was [completely focused on] gymnastics at that time, and having that happen to me might have been the best thing for me because I got to find a different passion,” Katherine said. “My family encouraged that resilient side of me, which is what encouraged me to go into wrestling. And within that first season, my record was 34-1, and I went on to win state champion at the 114 weight class.”

That, her family said, is Katherine.

“She tends to come out of the gate strong every time,” said her mom, Angela. “She does everything with everything she’s got.”

In addition to their faith, the Grigsbys are heavily involved in another kind of Alabama gospel.

“Our children grew up in the era of Nick Saban coaching at Alabama, and … we would talk about resiliency,” Kevin said. “We would talk about determination. We would talk about overcoming adversity in our everyday lives.”

Kevin and Angela knew they wanted to equip their children to think for themselves and face life’s challenges successfully. Along the way, the siblings also began to influence each other. Katherine said her brother has been a big influence over a lot of big decisions in her life, including her decision to wrestle. As a wrestler himself, his friendly jabs urged her to join. “Sibling feuds are always like, ‘I can do that better than you,’” she said.

How have the brother and sister remained so close?

“Kat and I are just open with each other,” Stephen said. “If we have problems, we tell them to each other rather than going behind our backs or holding it in. We both understand most conflicts just aren’t that important.”

Volunteering and giving back to the community have always been important to the Grigsby family. Since childhood, the kids have seen their parents living this out.

“I think by our parents [being] high-functioning members of the community, we naturally gravitated toward being like them — wanting to imitate that,” Stephen said.

Katherine agreed. “Being able to see my mom and my dad be a role model for life has had significant influence over my brother and [me],” she said.

Katherine has raised over $200,000 and built over 1,000 beds for children in need through her community service work with a nonprofit called Sleep in Heavenly Peace. Starting at age 14 with her mom, she was so impacted by the group that she eventually co-founded the Birmingham South chapter of SHP.

She remembers an interaction with a 14-year-old boy who, after receiving a bed she had made, thanked her and informed her it was the first bed he had ever had. “He was crying about it,” Katherine said. “That kind of put in perspective to me, after my 14 years of life, that he never got the opportunity to come home to a bed after a long day at school or practices. That really kick-started my passion for working within SHP.”

Angela said they have always intentionally stayed active and involved, individually and as a family. “I’m just scared if we sit back too much, we’ll miss opportunities,” she said.

Katherine balances a rigorous academic life as a kinesiology major at the University of Alabama. Looking forward, she plans to pursue her doctorate in physical therapy at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and specialize in pediatric physical therapy. She is also a member of Alabama’s Million Dollar Band, where she plays clarinet. She took up the instrument only recently, inspired by Stephen’s trumpet playing at UA. Now they march together on football Saturdays and their parents cheer them on.

The family members encourage and celebrate each other through tests, birthdays, extracurriculars and personal goals. Music is a family affair. Kevin plays piano every Sunday for First Baptist Church Trussville, and both kids play, as well. The family shares an active family text chat, and the walls of their home are lined with group photos. Family cruises are their favorite.

When it comes to raising exceptional young adults, Kevin and Angela’s approach shines as much for its togetherness as for the successes it has produced in their two children. The Grigsby parents, modest about their methods, credit open communication and family unity rather than systems or strict rules, believing in investing time and resources into their children.

“We are living at the speed of life right now, and I guess I don’t yet have time to look backwards,” Kevin said. “I know that time will come, but I’m living in the present and pushing toward the future. I think we have tried to equip them to think for themselves.”

The Grigsby parents said their own parenting teamwork is part of the family formula. “We’ve always made a great team,” Kevin said of he and his wife. “Angela handled meal and laundry services [and] community services, and I handled academics and extracurriculars. It was my responsibility to get the children to and from gymnastics. I picked [Katherine] up at 8 [p.m.] a lot of nights, but [Angela] had supper on the table when we got Katherine home.”

They have been committed to cellphone-free family dinners — even during the busiest weeks. All four Grigsbys said this has been very impactful.

“Regardless of what was going on, we [were] going to have supper together, even if it was at 9 p.m.,” Kevin said.

Katherine agreed. “One of the things that definitely binds my family and makes us as close as we are is nightly dinner times together,” said Katherine, whose favorite is steak and potatoes with her mom’s Oreo pie. “It brings us closer as a family.”

Central to the parents’ approach has been an environment in which, at those cellphone-free dinners, the children are always encouraged to ask questions — challenging or otherwise. Kevin described a moment when an 8-year-old Stephen sparked a very frank discussion about the meaning of a certain four-letter word. Kevin and Angela believe their calm, straightforward (though initially startled) response cemented the standard for family communication.

“If we had responded differently, how would that have changed things when he was 13 years old?” Kevin asked. “That was the pivotal moment — maybe for Katherine, too, who was sitting right there. We’re all going to do these things together.”

From then on, the Grigsby dinner table has always been a place to come together, discuss, exchange and work things out as a family.

Despite her packed schedule, Katherine finds joy in family vacations — particularly cruises — and cherishes the humorous, supportive environment her family creates.

Her father’s words capture it best. “He tells me at least once a week that I’m the one exception, or I am the unicorn because I do things differently, or I’m constantly pushing myself to work on myself and not sitting on the couch and playing a video game or watching TV,” Katherine said. “I’m always trying to find a way to work on myself.”