The national Miss USA pageant will be taking place in a few weeks, and the reigning Miss New Jersey is preparing to take the national stage.

“It’s still so surreal to me,” says Alexandra Lakhman.

The 26-year-old is a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. Lately, she has been spending most of her time training for the pageant.

“We are in the final stretch. I leave for Miss USA on Sept. 25,” she says.

Capturing the title of Miss New Jersey USA 2022 is a dream come true for Lakhman, as she won her seventh time competing in the Miss and Teen Divisions.

“I was so used to my name being called as the first runner-up, so I was expecting that,” she says. “For me, I was always looking at the other person and say… ‘This what I need to look like,’ instead of being myself.”

Lakhman’s younger brother Joe suffers from a progressive physical disability called spinal muscular atrophy. Lakhman uses her platform to raise awareness of the illness through Cure SMA.

“She is the most determined person I know, the most selfless person I know. She does so much for Cure SMA, always make sacrifices for her family,” says Joe.

Lahkman is a first-generation Ukraine American. She says she is deeply connected to the country through her family roots.

“Unfortunately, there is a humanitarian crisis going on right now between Ukraine and Russia and it affects me because those are where my roots are,” she says.

The Miss USA pageant kicks off in Reno on Oct. 3.