Raliene Banks was born and raised on the island of Guam. She completed her degree from Dowling College, New York in just 3 ½ years, graduating Summa Cum Laude with a B.S. in Aeronautics and Applied Mathematics. In 2014, she was awarded a Master’s in Business Administration from Oklahoma State University.
At age 24, she commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Air Force and was selected to attend Undergraduate Pilot Training at Naval Air Station Whiting Field, Florida followed by Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma. Raliene spent the past 14 years as an Air Force Pilot and has flown the C-17 transport jet, the remote RQ-4 reconnaissance aircraft, and the KC-135 aerial refueler.
Raliene is no stranger to adversity. At a young age, she survived an abusive relationship, and in 2019, she developed Graves’ Disease, an autoimmune disorder that affects the thyroid and prohibits her from flying for the Air Force. She refused to let those challenges get her down and decided to transform her pain into purpose with pageantry.
However, in 2022, her resilience would be challenged more than she ever imagined. While 15 weeks pregnant, she and her husband, Joshua, learned their baby girl screened positive for Trisomy 13. Trisomy 13 is a chromosomal abnormality that leads to miscarriage, severe disability or death. Raliene and Josh were given the option to terminate the pregnancy but chose to carry and care for their daughter for as long as possible. In September, Raliene gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Faith. Not knowing how long Faith would live, they lived each day fully and treasured each moment. Faith lived a full week before passing away due to Trisomy 13 complications.
Raliene and Joshua co-founded “Journey for Faith” to inspire others to live life to the fullest, to support other families with similar diagnoses and to support the non-profit organizations that assisted them with Faith. Raliene is passionate about sharing “Journey For Faith” and would love to speak about it at your next event! To request an appearance, contact her via Instagram @ralienebanks or email mail@raebanks.com.
Titles & Awards:
- Mrs. Johnston County America 2019
- Top 10, Mrs. North Carolina America 2020
- Advertisement Page Award
- Mrs. Guam Petite 2020
- 1st Runner Up, Mrs. USA Petite 2021
- Ms. Arlington North America 2021
- Ms. Virginia North America 2021
- Best in Evening Gown nAward
- 1st Runner Up, Ms. North America 2021
- Best in Fitness Award
- Mrs. District of Columbia Regency International 2021
- Mrs. Regency International 2021
- Spokesmodel Award
- Best in Everyday Wear Award
- Best in Swimwear Award
- Mrs. Fairfax International 2022
- Mrs. Virginia International 2023
