[1] Born in Anderson, South Carolina, Parker attended the College of Charleston, where she was a sister of Alpha Delta Pi and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and was later named Alumnus of the Year.

After the judges' question, she just made the cut in the final three in third place, eventually becoming the third South Carolinian to be crowned Miss USA.

In February 2003, she became the host for "Great Day SA" at KENS 5, which is San Antonio's top-rated live entertainment morning show.

[8] On November 2, 2016 Parker was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) after taking a pair of earbuds which did not belong to her from a TSA security checkpoint.

The earbuds belonged to a Los Angeles Police Department detective who later placed Parker under private person's arrest, as she was not on-duty.

Los Angeles World Airports police officers later boarded the flight before the door was closed and removed Parker from the plane.

Parker later agreed to enter a diversion program with the Los Angeles city attorney's office which will allow her to avoid being convicted, pleading guilty or even having a criminal record.