CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY RAPHAEL MAGLONZO Kelley Johnson, 25, was recently crowned Miss California USA. Previously, she was named Miss Colorado 2015, and competed in the Miss Iowa pageant in 2014. Her uncle Gordie Johnson resides in Marshalltown, along with grandmother Ruth Johnson. She is the granddaughter of the late Cecil Johnson, the founder of Cecil’s Cafe. An R.N., she is currently working on her doctorate degree.

LONG BEACH, Calif. — Kelley Johnson, 25, has made a name for herself in the pageant system not only in Iowa, but in Colorado and California.

The granddaughter of the late Cecil Johnson of Cecil’s Cafe, she was recently named Miss California USA 2018, in a ceremony which took place at the Long Beach Terrace Theatre. A native of Fort Collins, Colo., she was named Miss Colorado 2015, going on to compete in the 2016 Miss America contest, finishing as second runner-up. She was also a finalist for the Miss Iowa 2014 pageant.

Johnson graduated from Grand View University in Des Moines in 2014, the valedictorian of her nursing class.

“As an R.N., I’m passionate about healthcare and use [that issue] as my platform. I’m looking forward to visiting children’s hospitals and visiting with parents and their children,” she told the Times-Republican.

The pageant winner explained her interest in competing, thusly: “Pageants always offer scholarship money, and I chose to compete to help with student debt, and to be able to spread positive health information.”

She is currently a doctorate student at the University of Colorado (online), studying to become a family nurse practitioner.

Johnson is the daughter of Julie Johnson Haffner and Gene Haffner, and the late Alan Johnson of Marshalltown.

“She’s beyond incredible,” said uncle Gordie Johnson of Marshalltown.

Remaining close with her uncle and grandmother Ruth is very important to her.

“I never forget my Iowa family — they have my heart,” she said.

Johnson will now represent California in the Miss USA 2018 pageant next year. She lives in Los Angeles.

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Contact Sara Jordan-Heintz at 641-753-6611 or sjordan@timesrepublican.com