Kari Simmons was born and grew up in Alamogordo, New Mexico.

She always loved to sing and play-act and she frequently put on song and dance concerts for her family and friends. She sang in church choir from the age of six and studied ballet for many years. Kari played flute in junior high and made All-State choir.

Her parents, Liz and Clark Christian, still live in Alamogordo and her brother Scott lives in San Antonio. Her father, Phil Simmons, passed away in 1989.

Kari loves animals and, at present, she has two dogs (Sidney and Mazzy), three cats (Justice, Tabatha and Zoe) and two five-and-one-half-foot long iguanas. In fact, at one time she had 17 breeds of lizards.

Her nickname when she was growing up was "Baby Benatar." Besides Pat Benatar, her musical influences include Olivia Newton John, Donna Summer, The Carpenters, Sting, Sarah McLachlin, Harry Connick Jr., Celine Dion, Ani DeFranco, Aretha Franklin, Dave Matthews, Joni Mitchell, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Sarah Vaughan, Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey.

Her current favorites include Alicia Keys, Nikka Costa, the late Eva Cassidy, Jill Scott and India Arie.

Kari is a former Miss Otero County and she performs annually for the Miss New Mexico America pageant.

Kari has lived in New Mexico, Arizona and Utah, but she likes New Mexico the best.

She writes, "I feel blessed every time I look up at our mountains, see the trees change, smell green chile roasting and watch the sunsets here."

Sorry, fellas, Kari has a boyfriend, Steve, whom she describes as "handsome, smart and sweet."