A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Deidre grew up playing sports and earned a full volleyball scholarship to the University of Virginia. When she gave up her scholarship to focus on academics, she began competing in the Miss Alabama Pageant to finance her education. She earned over $100,000 in scholarships during the five years she competed and won numerous national awards for her community service platform accomplishments. Deidre completed her year of service as Miss America in January 2006 and then began medical school at the University of Alabama in Birmingham. In March of 2008, she married Andrew Gunn, a high school teacher and fellow Samford University alum. After medical school and residency training, Deidre hopes to practice medicine in her hometown of Birmingham.

Accomplishments include:

• National spokesperson for CureSearch childhood cancer foundation
• Rhodes Scholar finalist
• University of Alabama School of Medicine Class of 2010
• Magna cum laude graduate of Samford University
• Echols Scholar at the University of Virginia
• 2005 Public Service Award from the American Association of Cancer Research
• President Bush's Daily Point of Light Award for community service
• Quality of Life Award from Miss America Organization recognizing contestant with the greatest accomplishments in her community service platform