Representing Oakdale, Washington County, Minnesota, United States, Kellie May Xiong Chauvin, 43, is in the running towards becoming United States of America’s Mrs. Minnesota 2018. She is the wife of Minneapolis Police Department officer Derek Michael Chauvin, 40.

“Under all that uniform, he’s just a softie,” Kellie told the Twin Cities Pioneer Press about her husband. “He’s such a gentleman. He still opens the door for me (and) still puts my coat on for me.”

Derek and Kellie live in Oakdale. They first met at the Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota where she used to work. He brought a crime suspect in the hospital for a health check before an arrest when he spotted her there.

After taking the suspect to jail, Derek went back to the hospital and asked Kellie out. They got married in 2010.

A loving husband, Derek always makes Kellie feel beautiful. But growing up, she was constantly bullied by other children by calling her ugly.

In January 2018, Sophia Xiong-Yang convinced Kellie, her longtime friend, to compete at USOA’s Mrs. Minnesota 2018. If the cop’s wife wins, she will become the first woman of Hmong descent to hold the title and represent the state at USOA’s Mrs. 2019.

If Kellie goes on to win USOA’s Mrs. 2019, she will represent the U.S. at Mrs. World 2019. For this to happen, she has to beat first seven fellow candidates in the USOA’s Mrs. Minnesota 2018 coronation night at the Bloomington Center for the Arts in Bloomington, Minnesota on June 23, 2018.

Kellie was born in 1974 in Laos, the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia, and stayed in Thailand with her family as refugees from 1977 to 1980. The family moved to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, USA in 1980.

Laos has just been represented in major international beauty pageants. In 2017, Souphaphone Somvichith, Tonkham Phonchanhueang and Phounesup Phonnyotha represented the Southeast Asian country in Miss Universe, Miss World and Miss International, respectively.

Both Somvichith and Phonchanhueang were unplaced. Phonnyotha finished in the Top 8.