One former beauty queen has faith, not just in herself, but in others.

"I do believe in every fiber of my being that we are here by faith," former Miss America Debbye Turner said during a speech at a luncheon Thursday in the Union Ballroom.

The speech was part of Martin Luther King Jr. Observance Week and was sponsored by the Black Student Union, the College of Veterinary Medicine, the K-State Student Union Director's Office, the Student Government Association Diversity Programming Committee and the Office of Diversity.

Turner received the Miss Missouri recognition and was named Miss America in 1990. She graduated from the University of Missouri in Columbia in 1991 with a doctorate in veterinary medicine. She has been a staff correspondent with the Early Show on CBS since 2001.

She quoted King several times during the course of her speech.

"Dr. King had faith," she said. "He had great faith. He said, 'Faith is taking the first step when you aren't sure there is a staircase.'

"When he said he had a dream, he wasn't a narcoleptic who sat around dreaming all day. He was talking about faith. He had faith, and so should we."

Growing up in Jonesboro, Ala., Turner said she developed an understanding of human nature.

"I have seen some of the most egregious things that can be done to humans," she said. "It's easy to get jaded, sarcastic, disillusioned or pass of pessimism as realism.

"In my lifetime, I have seen a cross burning on my front lawn. I have been called the n-word. People have disparaged minorities."

Turner said there have been a few cases in her life where she was discriminated against because of her race. One involved her high school history teacher, who she said told her, "The white kids can't get an A in the class, so you can't either."

She eventually proved him wrong, scoring 100 percent on every test following that statement to earn her A.

Another instance was after she was crowned Miss America. She said she went into an upscale boutique in Los Angeles and was ignored by a saleslady.

"She didn't think I could afford what was in her store, so I decided I couldn't afford to leave my money there," Turner said.

The third case she described involved an older woman. While Turner stood on the sidewalk, the woman asked her where the bathroom was, thinking she worked there.

"I said, 'Not only do I not work here, I am the current Miss America. I was just on national television. What do you do?'" she said she asked the woman.

Hope is a crucial part of having faith, Turner said.

"In order to have faith, you must have hope," she said. "If you struggle with your faith, I say it's because you don't have enough hope. Faith is hope with flesh on it."

Turner has been a motivational speaker since she was crowned Miss America. She speaks on various topics, including personal excellence, goal setting, the value of education and determination.

Ben Hopper, program adviser for the Union Program Council, said Turner's message was good for the students to hear.

"I work with entertainers all the time, and she was the best speaker yet," he said. "She was just fun to be around."

Zelia Wiley, assistant dean for the Office of Diversity Program and the College of Agriculture, presented a corsage to Turner on behalf of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. She said Turner is someone to look to for inspiration.

"What she represents is an example to us," Wiley said. "She's an example to women, multicultural students and the agriculture students."

Turner said she felt at home here at K-State.

"The people here are warm and welcoming," she said. "I didn't go to school here, and I still felt welcome. I look forward to coming back."

Turner encouraged all to continue to succeed and move forward.

"When you face your darkest hour, your biggest opposition, your greatest challenge, give all of yourself anyway," she said. "When you succeed, you will have false friends and true enemies, but succeed anyway."