Jonesboro, AR – Jonesboro Right Now – For Ashton Haywood, a middle school pact to attend Arkansas State University didn’t just lead to a college degree–it sparked a commitment to Northeast Arkansas, propelling the Nettleton educator all the way to the Mrs. America stage to fight for her students.
Haywood arrived in Jonesboro in the fall of 2014. Growing up in North Little Rock with a high school graduating class of over 600 students, she craved connection.
“I fell in love with Jonesboro,” she said. “It’s a big town with a small-town feel, and growing up in North Little Rock, you always got lost in the crowd. Here, I felt like everyone felt seen and everyone felt important while still having the large community.”
That sense of belonging became the foundation for Haywood’s family.
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After a brief stint in Clarksville, TN, following graduation, Haywood and her husband Nick–a Piggott native–knew exactly where they wanted to go. She said Jonesboro offered the perfect medium between their two vastly different hometown experiences.
Their “Red Wolf loyalty” runs deep. Between the two of them, the couple holds an associate’s, two bachelor’s, two master’s, and a doctorate from A-State.
Today, that same community has rallied firmly behind Haywood.
When she prepared to head to Las Vegas to compete for Mrs. America, businesses in downtown Jonesboro stepped up. Lemonade House Bar and Grille sponsored her send-off party, and other shops sent T-shirts and gifts to show their support.
“They all came out and showed up and showed out, and it was emotional in the best way,” Haywood said. “They are a family. They will treat you well, they will love you, they will welcome you with open arms.”
The Heart of the Platform
While Haywood’s connection to Jonesboro is strong, it was a personal milestone that shifted how she viewed her role in the classroom. When she first started teaching, she was pregnant with her son and instructing her students virtually.
Transitioning to in-person teaching after giving birth, Haywood was immediately confronted with the harsh realities many local families face.
“I walked in and I saw a student that had two black eyes, that had been beaten by his mother,” she recalled. “When I looked at his face, I saw my son. I don’t understand how this could happen. It’s like, once I had my son, every time I saw one of my students… this motherly instinct wants to protect them, hold them, love them, and give them everything that I can.”
Working with students from pre-K through second grade, that amplified instinct drove Haywood to advocate for the Nettleton Public Schools Backpack Program.
She said she reached out to the school’s social worker asking what she could do to help. It started with gathering small necessities–a specific size of pants or certain food items–but the mission quickly grew.
Haywood helped establish a “hygiene club” for a group of young girls who had their water shut off at home, providing toothbrushes, toothpaste, and a safe place to wash their hair. The school became a haven for its most vulnerable kids.
“We created such an environment here at Nettleton that those students, when they wake up, if mom and dad are not there, they know to get themselves dressed and come here because they are loved here,” she said. “We are their other mom and dads, and we feed them.”
Turning Pageantry into Action
The need in the community is staggering. According to a December 2025 report from the United States Department of Agriculture, Arkansas ranked as the number one state in the U.S. for families facing food and material insecurity.
Haywood told JRN that 23% of those families are in Northeast Arkansas alone.
Faced with the task of raising $500 per building to keep her students fed under new food bank guidelines, Haywood was stressed.
However, she said during a weekly “girls’ night” with friends, the conversation turned to pageants and their philanthropic platforms. Learning there was a married division of Miss America, she saw an avenue for fundraising and exposure.
While Haywood had never been on a stage before, she decided to sign up to compete as Mrs. Northeast Arkansas.
The gamble paid off. In June 2026, she won the state pageant and was officially crowned Mrs. Arkansas-America 2026.
Haywood’s title led to a donation of over 200 backpacks filled with supplies from a group in Central Arkansas. Later, at her Mrs. America send-off party, Lemonade House Bar and Grille surprised her with a $1,000 check for the program.
“I just started crying, and I said to our social worker, ‘We can feed our kids now,'” Haywood said. “It was all because I had signed up for a pageant. I had never done one, but I saw it as an opportunity to get resources. And here’s this resource.”
The Accidental Archer
While Haywood holds a master’s in art education, she also serves as the assistant coach for Arkansas State University’s collegiate archery team.
Getting that opportunity is something she said happened by accident.
Haywood explained that while working out at the A-State Health, Physical Education, and Sport Sciences center years ago, she needed a pin for a weight machine. Directed to ask the head of the center, who was in the archery, she inadvertently walked right into an archery club meeting.
She learned to shoot a bow that day, became president of the club the next semester, and eventually helped get it registered as an official collegiate sport.
Today, Haywood blends the two worlds. According to her, coaching collegiate archery has taught her how to home in and bring structure to her elementary art classes, while her love for art brings creativity to the archery range. She added that she even hosts art shows for her Nettleton students at A-State.
Bringing Congeniality Home
That same willingness to step into a new room followed Haywood to the 50th Mrs. America competition in Las Vegas.
To her, the national stage was a marathon. She said over 12 days, she survived on just four hours of sleep a night. Not only that, but she also dealt with food poisoning for two days, suffered from dehydration, and even fractured her pinkie toe after another contestant accidentally stepped on it with a stiletto.
Despite stumbling during the swimsuit competition due to her fractured toe, the true spirit of the pageant shone through when her fellow competitors immediately rushed to offer her lidocaine and athletic tape backstage.
Though her body was “put through the ringer” and she did not place in the top 15, Haywood walked away with the exact honor she had prayed for since her very first pageant: Mrs. Congeniality America 2026.
“I’ve never felt so welcomed in my life,” she said. “I couldn’t stop looking at these girls and thanking them for picking me. Thank you for loving me, thank you for liking me, thank you for being my sister, thank you for being my friend.”
For Haywood, the crown has always represented a tool for advocacy, a symbol of service, and a way to show her students that success is ultimately about how you treat people.
How to Support the Nettleton Backpack Program
Residents can help Haywood ensure that no child in Northeast Arkansas goes without the necessities to get through life. Donations of food and materials can be dropped off at the front office of any Nettleton school at any time.
The program requests items that are easy for children to use on their own, or items that are often overlooked during traditional donation drives:
- Clothing: New underwear, bras, socks, and gently used or new shoes
- Hygiene Items: While they receive toothbrushes and toothpaste, there is a desperate need for shampoo, soap, and deodorant
Accessible Food: Easy mac-and-cheese, instant mashed potatoes, beef jerky, cereal, and jelly (Note: Do not donate peanut butter or nut products due to allergies) - Seasonal Needs: Winter coats and Halloween costumes
Financial contributions can also be coordinated directly with the social worker or administration at any Nettleton Public School building.
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