Whoever is crowned Miss America on September 9 will be the first woman to fill the shoes of a *new* kind of Miss America. Since Gretchen Carlson has revamped the scholarship program and introduced new rules, like banning the swimsuit portion of the competition, Miss America is entering a new age, and one of these 51 women will be the face of the organization. The diverse group of women each seem excited and prepared to take on this important leadership position and compete on Sunday for your vote to be Miss America!
Miss Alabama Callie Regan Walker is a musical theater major at The University of Alabama with hopes to one day perform on Broadway. Miss Alaska Courtney Anne Schuman attends University of Alaska Anchorage, majoring in Environment and Society, and works to inspire young people to pursue their dreams as an advocate for her community. Another stunning brunette, Isabel Ticlo, is your Miss Arizona and has taken on the “Be My Eyes” application, to help pair sighted volunteers to visually impaired members of the community. Miss California MacKenzie Freed has adopted an incredibly relevant and important initiative that she calls “From Classroom to Boardroom: Overcoming Workplace Bias.” “Imagine a world in which children fearlessly pursue the ambitions of their hearts rather than allow peer and societal pressure to stifle their potential,” she says. “My goal is to encourage America’s youth to be brave and bold in pursuit of their passions and to accept one another as equal with the hope of improving the quality and compassion of our future workforce.” We love that!
Miss Delaware Joanna Wicks, who works full-time as a high school art teacher, also works closely with “The Beauty Shop Project,” a group that addresses domestic violence issues through hair salons, and she is dedicated to fighting against domestic violence. Another trailblazer in her industry is Allison Kathleen Farris, Miss DC, who is working to “spark passion in young girls who want to break the male-dominated trend in STEM careers.” Similarly, Miss Massachusetts Gabriela Taveras‘s social impact initiative is F.E.A.R. (Face Everything and Rise), which she has adapted to the revamping of the Miss America organization, as well.
Get to know the rest of the Miss America contestants by clicking through our gallery, and tune in to the Miss America pageant on Sept. 9 at 9 PM ET on ABC!