Gymnastics sweetheart Shawn Johnson continues to shine in the public spotlight, this time as a judge for the 2015 Miss America pageant. This is actually the second time that she has served as a judge for the contest, the first time being in 2010 when she was 18 years old. (And, as many will remember, McKayla Maroney also served as a judge for the competition in 2013!)
 

Johnson is one of seven judges selected to choose the next Miss America, along with NFL athlete Donald Driver, TV producer Marc Cherry, media entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk, Kathy Ireland, Lee Meriwether, and General Anne Macdonald. She and her fellow judges have spent the past week judging the preliminary rounds of the competition, with the final portion being aired live from Atlantic City on Sunday, September 14th on ABC.




Images via Shawn Johnson's Instagram
 

During a press conference, the judges were asked what they are looking for in a contestant. Johnson responded by saying “I would look for someone who’s unique. I don’t want the cookie cutter […] I want a girl who stands out, so when little girls look up to her, she can say ‘It’s okay to be different, and I can still be beautiful.’”
 

Later in the conference, she went on to say that many young girls lack strong role models and struggle with self-confidence issues. She hopes that Miss America can “teach these girls coming up that they can do anything!”
 

Aside from her duties within the pageant, it was also revealed during the press conference that Shawn has found a new career goal! She now plans to attend nursing school and become a pediatric nurse, though it was not mentioned whether she is currently enrolled at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, where she currently lives.