Coming Full Circle

Aria Hutchinson Brings Home Miss Michigan USA Crown

By Wensdy Von Buskirk

When Plymouth’s own Aria Hutchinson won Miss Michigan USA last month, it made headlines across the country. She was crowned the same week her younger brother, Aidan, a fan favorite at the University of Michigan, was drafted #2 overall by the Detroit Lions.

Aria’s state pageant win was elevated to national news by association, but the 23-yearold’s story was sometimes overshadowed by her brother’s.

The Rock set out to focus on Aria, but we quickly realized there is a reason the press lumps the siblings together and goes on to talk about their parents, Chris and Melissa, and sister, Mia. The Hutchinsons’ achievements are so intertwined that it’s hard to talk about one without the others.

PAGEANT REIMAGINED

The Hutchinsons moved to Plymouth when Aria was in kindergarten. She grew up walking to Our Lady of Good Counsel, riding her bike through downtown Plymouth with friends, and doing dance competitions with Aidan. She also played dress-up with the tiara and sash her mom won at age 15 as Miss Michigan Teen USA.

“I was the girl who always wanted to be a princess,” Aria said.

Inspired by her mom, she entered Miss Michigan Teen USA three years in a row, scoring first runner-up in 2016 and third runner-up in 2017.

“I was always kind of ‘close but no cigar,’” she said. With her mom’s encouragement, she took a break from pageants to regroup. Aria graduated high school from Our Lady of Divine Child in Dearborn and pursued a Bachelor’s Degree in Neuroscience at U-of-M.

“I turned more into a tomboy as I got older,” Aria said. “I snowboard. I love science. But this was an unfinished book that was still open. I never had closure. There was a part of me that really wanted to win this.”

When Miss USA launched “Pageantry Reimagined” with a new emphasis on authenticity and community engagement, Aria decided it was time to get back in the game.

She emerged from four months of seclusion, studying for the rigorous MCAT exam, and entered Miss Michigan USA 2021 on a whim. She made the top 15, and with Wayne State University Medical School starting the following July, she thought that would be her last stab at the crown.

“I was going to close the book on that chapter of my life,” she said.

Yet, unexpectedly, Miss Michigan USA bumped its 2022 pageant up to May, making it possible for Aria to compete before buckling down for med school.

“It was divine timing. I’ve never really trained hard for these, but I decided to throw myself into it and give myself the best shot, do everything I have to do,” she said.

She participated in mock interviews, practiced the pageant walk, changed her diet, and even launched her own non-profit. Her hard work paid off.

CROWNING GLORY

With her family in the audience at McMorran Entertainment Center in Port Huron, Mich., Hutchinson beat out 77 candidates to win Miss Michigan USA.

“Apparently, God wanted me to win this year,” she said.

Aria will represent Michigan in the Miss USA pageant in November. In the meantime, she will use her platform to promote Project InPower, the non-profit she launched with her best friend, Ashley Mark. Aria is a certified yoga teacher (she is on the schedule at White Buffalo in Plymouth), and Ashley is a black-belt tae kwon do instructor. The two team up to provide selfdefense, yoga, and meditation classes to victims of human trafficking.

“We really want to give them the tools they need to feel in control of their lives again,” Aria said.

It’s a mission influenced by her mom. After winning her own crown, Melissa traveled extensively as a model but became disillusioned with the industry.

“Even though I had success at modeling, I knew I could never depend on it. I knew it was fleeting, and I knew I needed much more substance in my career,” she said.

Melissa earned a degree in communications from U-of-M and took to the other side of the camera, taking fine art photographs and building a business based primarily on empowering girls and young women by bringing out their unique beauty.

“I helped them with their confidence, taking the mystery out of the model and everything they see on Instagram,” she said.

She has since passed her clients onto her eldest daughter Mia, supporting her as she builds a business of her own.

“The theme of my whole life in photography and now Mia is giving people their power back,” Melissa said.

TEAM HUTCHINSON

The entire Hutchinson family —parents and three siblings— graduated from U-of-M. Mia earned a degree in creative writing and photography. Now, along with shooting Aria for her pageant career, she photographs Aidan and serves as his social media manager and content creator.

Just as Aria and Mia followed in their mother’s footsteps, Aidan has inherited his father’s talent for football. Chris Hutchinson was a standout player for the Wolverines and graduated to become a free agent. Health issues during training camp with the Cleveland Browns made him decide to leave the gridiron to become a doctor. In a twist of fate, when Chris got deathly ill from a tetanus shot 10 years later, he realized that an allergy to the shots was at the root of the health scare that made him hang up his cleats.

“It was a godsend,” Melissa said. “He is such an incredible physician in the emergency room. You see your calling in life as the years go by. It was an absolute blessing.”

These days, despite being busy with patients and the demands of his career, he never misses a game, pageant, or family event.

As Aria embarks on a medical career of her own, regardless of how she fares in Miss USA this fall, it’s all coming full circle for the Hutchinsons.

“We have a lot of moving parts, but we’re one heartbeat,” Melissa said.