FORT WAYNE, Ind. — Grace Schoegler was only 13 when strangers online convinced her to send explicit photos. What started as peer pressure quickly became shame, addiction, and trauma that lasted years.
Now, at 20, the newly crowned Miss Fort Wayne is using her crown and her story to make sure no other child suffers in silence.
Grace’s bravery has already moved Indiana lawmakers. Last week, the bill she testified for — one that would impose tougher, individualized penalties on adults who exploit kids online — passed committee unanimously and is headed to the full House floor.
From Victim to Voice
Grace remembers the exact moment everything changed.
A group of older friends introduced her to chat rooms and apps where strangers asked for pictures. She didn’t know the word “grooming.” She only knew she wanted to fit in.
“It felt like a secret I couldn’t tell anyone,” Grace told 21Alive in an exclusive sit-down interview. “I was terrified my parents would hate me. I thought I was the only one this was happening to.”
She wasn’t.
According to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, reports of online enticement of children jumped 82% from 2021 to 2023. In 2024 alone, their CyberTipline received more than 36 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation — most involving images shared online.
Grace carried that secret for years. The shame ate at her. Then one day her mom, Heather, found the messages.
“My world stopped,” Heather said. “But Grace’s world had already stopped long before that.”
Instead of punishment, the family chose healing. Therapy. Open conversations. And eventually, a decision: turn the worst thing that ever happened to them into the best thing they could do for others.
Shine a Light Is Born
In 2024, Grace created the Instagram account @shinea.light.indiana. What started as a place to share her story exploded into a full-blown awareness campaign.
She posts survivor resources, warning signs for parents, and age-appropriate internet safety tips for teens. Indiana State Police took notice and asked her to speak at schools.
Then came the invitation that changed everything: testify at the Statehouse.
On January 14, 2026, Grace stood at the podium in front of the House Courts and Criminal Code Committee.
“These predators count on our silence,” she told lawmakers. “They count on victims being too ashamed to speak. I’m here to tell you we are not ashamed anymore. We are angry. And we deserve protection.”
Committee members sat in silence as she spoke. When she finished, the room erupted in applause — something almost never heard in committee hearings.
The bill, HB 1049, strengthens penalties for adults who solicit or possess child sexual abuse material, especially when the victim is groomed online. It allows judges to consider the grooming process itself as an aggravating factor during sentencing.
It passed committee 12-0.
Why This Bill Matters Now
Indiana already has tough laws, but prosecutors and advocates say current statutes often treat online exploitation the same as possession cases — even when predators spent months manipulating a child.
HB 1049 changes that.
Key changes the bill would make:
- Grooming behavior becomes an official sentence enhancer
- Minimum sentences increase when the victim is under 14
- Predators who pose as minors to obtain images face felony charges (current law sometimes treats this as a misdemeanor)
- Judges can order lifetime internet monitoring for repeat offenders
“This isn’t about being tough on crime for the sake of headlines,” Grace said. “It’s about making the punishment actually match the damage done.”
FBI data shows sextortion cases against teenage boys alone rose 400% in the last two years. Many victims die by suicide before anyone knows what happened.
A Crown With a Mission
Grace won the Miss Fort Wayne title in June 2025. Most queens pick platforms like literacy or mental health.
She picked the hardest one imaginable.
“People told me I should choose something lighter,” Grace laughed. “But this is the hill I’m willing to die on.”
Her year of service has already taken her to middle schools across northeast Indiana, where she speaks to kids who look exactly like she did at 13 — glued to their phones, desperate to belong.
She ends every talk the same way:
“You are not dirty. You are not ruined. You are not alone. And there are adults who will fight for you — starting with me.”
What Happens Next
As HB 1049 heads to the full House, Grace and her family plan to be in the gallery watching every vote.
If it passes the House, it still needs Senate approval and the governor’s signature.
But something has already shifted.
Lawmakers now quote “Grace’s voice” in floor speeches. Survivors across Indiana message her daily saying they finally told someone because of her courage.
And in Fort Wayne, a little girl who once felt worthless now wears a crown — proof that the worst chapters can become the most powerful ones.
Grace Schoegler isn’t just Miss Fort Wayne.
She’s the voice thousands of silent kids desperately needed.
