Jill Stevens Shepherd has been through her share of battle zones in recent years, and she brought photos to a Young Single Adult summit to prove it.

Shepherd was the keynote speaker Saturday at the annual three-day event for young Mormon singles in the Bonneville, Granger, Murray East, Holladay and Sugar House regions. Speaking at the Salt Lake Institute of Religion, Shepherd rifled through photos projected on a screen of her time serving with the Army National Guard in Afghanistan and her experience representing Utah in the 2007 Miss America pageant.

While Shepherd's combat experience might be a bit more literal than most of the 1,600 people's in the audience, Shepherd said getting through challenges was possible because she made setting goals a priority.

"We all face our personal combat zones," Shepherd said. "Having a goal or target is essential in all aspects of life."

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