Miss America 2020: Here's a look at the 51 beautiful women who will be competing to take home the crown
Miss America is set to make its comeback as the 93rd Miss America pageant. Unlike the previous years, this year the show will be broadcasted on NBC. The competition will be held at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut on Thursday, December 19, 2019.
51 contestants will be taking part in the show and the winner will be announced after going through different rounds. There will be four segments that will form the basis of judging. These include an interview with judges, on-stage interviews, talent competition, and social impact pitch. Below are the contestants who would be appearing in this year's Miss America.
1. Tiara Pennington
Tiara Pennington will be representing Alabama state. She graduated from the University of Alabama with a major in Political Science. She also leads an organization called Psoriasis Take Action Alabama, which is linked to the National Psoriasis Foundation.
2. Maile Johnston
Maile Johnston is representing Alaska this year. She graduated from the University of Alaska Anchorage after majoring in Biology. Johnston has been working on her social impact initiative, 'A case for hope' since 2018 as she believes women should be motivated to be leaders in their community.
3. Jacqueline Thomas
Jacqueline Thomas will be representing Arizona. A graduate of Grand Canyon University with a Business Management degree, her social impact pitch is focused on Lady leaders which pays special attention in encouraging, elevating and empowering women of the next generation.
4. Darynne Dahlem
Darynne Dahlem will be representing Arkansas. She graduated from the University of Arkansas after completing her studies in Animal Science. Her social impact pitch is 'know who you are'. Apart from modeling, Dahlem hopes to study further and enroll in a medical college to specialize in pediatric cardiology and work at the Arkansas Children’s Hospital.
5. Eileen Kim
Eileen Kim is from California. She graduated from Chapman University after completing her studies in Business administration. Kim has been an active advocate of mental health and her social impact initiative is focused around 'Let's talk' that urges people to talk about self-harm and developing healthy coping mechanisms.
6. Monica Thompson
Monica Thompson is from Colorado. She graduated from Oklahoma City University and has specialized in vocal performance and musical theater. Thompson has always been an avid supporter of encouraging girls to rise to their full potential. Her social impact initiative, 'Building strong girls' also focuses on the same.
7. Jillian Duffy
Jillian Duffy is from Connecticut. She graduated from Southern Connecticut State University with a major in business administration. Her social impact initiative is 'Jillian’s Journey: Pediatric Cancer Research and Awareness'. Being a cancer survivor herself, Duffy wants shed light on pediatric cancer.
8. Hillary May
Hillary May will be representing Delaware. She graduated from Butler University with a major in psychology. May has always been a supporter about speaking up about mental health and her social impact initiative, 'let's talk' motivates people to break the stigma surrounding the topic.
9. Katelynne Cox
Katelynne Cox is from the District of Columbia. She graduated from the University of Missouri with a major in Non-profit management. Her social impact initiative is 'silence is not compliance'. It focuses on rehabilitating rape survivors, lobbies for victim first legislation and educates children on sexual violence prevention.
10. Michaela McLean
Michaela McLean will be representing Florida. She graduated from the University of Alabama with a major in dance and public relations. McLean hopes to educate young girls to be proud of themselves and her social impact initiative, 'Brave and Beautiful' empowers young girls to step away from the screen and see themselves as the beautiful self they are.
11. Victoria Hill
Victoria Hill will be representing Georgia. She graduated from Reinhardt University with a major in vocal performance. Her social impact initiative is 'Flip the Script on Foster Care'. Hill's love for foster care comes from within as two of her uncles were adopted from foster care. She believes that it is important for every child to have a loving family and her initiative works towards achieving that.
12. Nicole Holbrook
Nicole Holbrook will be representing Hawaii. She did her schooling from BYU-Hawaii and majored in business management. Holbrook's social impact initiative is called 'S.N.A.P' which stands for 'Service Nurtures All People'. She aims to encourage people to be more loving towards others through her initiative.
13. Grace Zimmerman
Grace Zimmerman is from Idaho. She graduated from the University of Idaho with a major in marketing entrepreneurship. Zimmerman having good mental health along with physical health will help a person improve their way of living. Her social impact initiative, 'Wholesome Health' focuses on educating people about the same.
14. Ariel Beverly
Ariel Beverly will be representing Illinois. She graduated from Illinois State University with a major in Art Teacher Education. Beverly is a supporter of the Arts. Her social impact initiative is '#IncludeTheArts' which focuses on advocating arts education.
15. Tiarra Taylor
Tiarra Taylor is from Indiana and will be representing it in Miss America 2020. She graduated from Indiana State University with a major in communications. Taylor believes that everyone deserves a chance to succeed and through her social impact initiative, 'Bring Advantages to Disadvantaged Youth' she hopes to open doors of opportunities for the disadvantaged.
16. Emily Tinsman
Emily Tinsman will be representing Iowa in Miss America 2020. She graduated from Drake University with a major in music education. Tinsman wants to advertise the field of Arts while promoting it to the younger generation. Her social impact initiative is 'Americans for the Arts' and goes by the motto 'Advocate, Educate, Invest'.
17. Annika Wooton
Annika Wooton is from Kansas. She graduated from the University of Kansas with a major in illustration. Even as a child Wooton was interested in arts and now with a platform like Miss America she wants to motivate people to rethink the meaning of arts and with her social impact initiative, 'The Artist’s Fingerprint' she wants the world to know about the transformative power that art holds.
18. Alex Francke
Alex Francke will be representing Kentucky in the pageant. She graduated from the University of Kentucky with a major in business administration. Francke started her social impact initiative 'Adopt an art' to educate children in the different art forms. Her initiative conducts several workshops that allow children of different age groups to try their hand at different art forms.
19. Meagan Crews
Meagan Crews is representing Louisiana. She graduated from Louisiana State University Shreveport with a major in marketing. Crews is interested in creating a world where everyone is a leader and with her social impact initiative 'LEAD' she stands by the motto 'Leadership Empowerment And Development'.
20. Carolyn Brady
Carolyn Brady will be representing Maine. She graduated from Bowdoin College with a major in Government and legal studies. Brady hopes to help the immigrants through her social impact initiative called 'Immigration Builds Our Nation'. The initiative focuses on how immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers have contributed towards the success of a community.
21. Caitlyn Stupi
Caitlyn Stupi will be representing Maryland for Miss America 2020. She graduated from Liberty University with a major in Graphic design. Her social impact initiative is 'common cents' which aims to help people with saving funds for their education. The main aim of the initiative is promoting youth financial literacy.
22. Lyndsey Littlefield
Lyndsey Littlefield is representing Massachusetts for this year's pageant. She graduated from Bridgewater State University with a major in biology. Littlefield has been vocal about raising strong girls and through her social impact initiative 'Girls Incorporated' she wants everyone to know the importance of raising girls who are strong, smart, and bold.
23. Mallory Rivard
Mallory Rivard is from Michigan and will be contesting in the pageant this year. She graduated from Saginaw Valley State University with a major in early childhood education. Rivard believes it is important for every child to be educated and she is raising awareness about literacy through her social impact initiative 'Read to Succeed'.
24. Kathryn Kueppers
Kathryn Kueppers is representing Minnesota. She graduated from Minnesota State University-Mankato with a major in family and consumer sciences. Kueppers is working on the ' The Invisible Crown' as her social impact initiative. By undertaking this initiative she hopes to let people know the stronghold on change the platform of Miss America has to offer to others.
25. Mary Margaret Hyer
Mary Margaret Hyer will be representing Mississippi. She graduated from the University of Mississippi with a major in English. Hyer wants to raise awareness about the importance of organ donation and through her initiative 'Advocate, Celebrate, Donate' she hopes to educate people about how organ donation can save someone's life.
26. Simone Esters
Simone Esters will be representing Missouri. She graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a major in Convergence Journalism. Growing up with a single mother Esters always looked up to the mentors that she had around her. Through her social impact initiative 'Leave your MARK' Esters hopes to help others in the same way like her mentors helped her.
27. Mo Shea
Mo Shea is representing Montana. She graduated from the University of Montana with a major in Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience. Shea hopes to raise awareness about skin cancer and through her social impact initiative ' Love The Skin You’re In' she aims to help people fall in love with their skin while discussing how skin cancer can be prevented and how it should not be the only thing that defines someone.
28. Allie Swanson
Allie Swanson is representing Nebraska. She graduated from the Evangel University with a major in advertising and public relations. Swanson understands the need for being web protected in an era where digital media is taking control of people's life. Through her initiative ' CyberSmartz' she aims to educate people on how to stay protected in the digital world.
29. Nasya Mancini
Nasya Mancini will be representing Nevada in the Miss America 2020 pageant. She graduated from Dixie State University with a major in media studies. Her social impact initiative 'Patch for a Purpose #FindYourVoice' hopes to raise individuals who are confident and bold to speak their minds.
30. Sarah Tubbs
Sarah Tubbs is representing New Hampshire. She graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a major in Business Administration: Marketing and Management. Tubbs believes that the world can be a better place for everyone if we worked together as one. Through her social impact initiative 'Choose One' she hopes to revolutionalize the world.
31. Jade Glab
Jade Glab is representing New Jersey. She graduated from Georgetown University McDonough School of Business with a major in finance. Glab's social impact initiative is 'Healthy Children, Strong America' and with this, she hopes to share the message about the need of raising an America that is healthy.
32. Misa Tran
Misa Tran is representing New Mexico. She graduated from New Mexico State University with a major in atheletic training. Her social impact initiative is called 'veterans' and it hopes to shed light on the life of veterans during and after their service.
33. Lauren Molella
Lauren Molella, who is from New York will be competing to win the title of Miss America 2020. She graduated from Troy University with a major in Pre-Med and Psychology. With her social impact initiative titled 'Voices of Honor' she hopes to support the military.
34. Alexandra Badgett
Alexandra Badgett is representing North Carolina. She graduated from University of South Carolina Honors College with a major in finance, insurance and risk management. Her social impact initiative "N.I.N.E- no is not enough" aims to strengthen the message of anti-rape slogan which states "no means no".
35. Haley Wolfe
Haley Wolfe will be representing North Dakota this year. She graduated from Minnesota State University-Moorhead with a major in accouting. At a very young age Wolfe and her family were affected by a death in the family. Wolfe was left shocked when she found out that her 18-year-old cousin had committed suicide. Through her social impact initiative, '#BeThe1To' hopes to raise awareness about suicide prevention helplines and wants to raise the message that a person does not have to be an expert to save someone.
36. Caroline Grace Williams
Caroline Grace Williams is representing Ohio. She graduated from Miami University with a major in theater and music. Williams decided to start her social ompact initiative, 'Caroline’s Crisis Call: Know the F.A.C.T.S. of Calling 911' after she got into a car accident. Her initiative hopes to educate people on how to deal with emergency situations.
37. Addison Price
Addison Price is from Oklahoma. She graduated from Oklahoma State University with a major in marketing. Her social impact initiative is 'Empowering Individuals with Disabilities Through Self-Advocacy'. Price believes every person has a chance to make a difference and through her platform she hopes to remind of everyone this.
38. Shivali Kadam
Shivali Kadam is from Oregon and will be seen in Miss America 2020. She graduated from Oregon State University with a major in chemical engineering. Kadam's social impact initiative ' STEMpowered' hopes to generate the next generation of female scientists and engineers. Through her initiative she hopes to bring mentors and organizations at the footstep of students who are interested in pursuing any desired subject.
39. Tiffany Seitz
Tiffany Seitz will be representing Pennsylvania. She graduated from Grove City College with a major in entreprenurship. Seitz's social impact inititative, 'Adoption Advocacy' is very close to her heart. Seitz was in a foster care until she was adopted. She now wants to make use of this platform to raise awarness on adoption.
40. Molly Andrade
Molly Andrade is representing Rhode Island. She graduated from Endicott College with a major in business management. Her social impact initiative, ' Self Defense for Women' urges women to understand their surrounding better while also learning ways through which they can combat an assault.
41. Morgan Nichols
Morgan Nichols is representing South Carolina this year. She graduated from Clemson University with a major in genetics. Her social impact initiative is 'Stronger with STEM: Inspiring Students to Stick with Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math'. Nicholas believes that women have come a long way but still have a long way to go. Through her initiative she hopes to encourage women to identify their capabilities.
42. Amber Hulse
Amber Hulse is representing South Dakota. She graduated from the University of South Dakota with a major in political science. Her social impact initiative is 'Operation Overload: A Confidential Career Briefing'. Through her initiative she hopes to help students to get resources to continue their studies.
43. Brianna Mason
Brianna Mason is representing Tennessee this year. She graduated from University of Tennessee, Knoxville with a major in elementary education. Her social impact initiative is 'Advocates for Autism: Autism Awareness'. She believes it is important to educate people about autism.
44. Chandler Foreman
Chandler Foreman is representing Texas during Miss America 2020. She graduated from University of North Texas with a major in broadcast media. Her social impact initiative '#TheLeaderWithin' hopes to motivate everyone to be a leader while pushing them to put their best foot forward.
45. Dexonna Talbot
Dexonna Talbot is representing Utah. She graduated from the University of Utah with a major in Ballet performance. Talbot believes in the act of service and firmly thinks that doing any service, be it small or big, helps in increasing self-esteem of an individual. With her social impact initiative, 'Servesteem' she hopes to increase self-esteem through service.
46. Jillian Fisher
Jillian Fisher will be appearing on Miss America 2020 as a representative of Vermont. She graduated from the University of Vermont with a major in animal science. Fisher hopes to stop the stigma around addiction and recovery. She believes it is time for words like "junkie" or "addict" to be put out of use. With her social impact initiative, 'The Stigma Stops Here', Fisher hopes to educate people about recovery and end stigma surrounding it.
47. Camille Schrier
Camille Schrier will be representing Virginia. She graduated from Virginia Tech with a major in Biochemistry and Systems Biology. Schrier's social impact initiative is 'Mind your meds' that focuses on drug safety and abuse prevention. She believes if people are aware about different drugs it would help them be cautious.
48. Abbie Kondel
Abbie Kondel is representing Washington. She graduated from Brigham Young University with a major in exercise science. Her social impact initiative 'Be Smart, Don’t Start' aims to reduce drug and alcohol abuse. The initative also makes use of video tutorials to educate people about the same.
49. Toriane Graal
Toriane Graal will be representing West Virginia. She graduated from West Virginia University with a major in accounting. Her social impact initiaitve, 'Let’s Be CLEAR' hopes to educate people about Children’s Leukemia and resilience with it.
50. Alyssa Bohm
Alyssa Bohm will be representing Wisconsin during Miss America 2020. She graduated from Wisconsin with a major in special education. Taking her interest to a bigger platform Bohm's social impact initiative 'Embracing Special Needs' hopes to build an inclusive community where everyone is allowed to shine bright.
51. Jordan Hardman
Jordan Hardman is representing Wyoming in Miss America 2020. She graduated from the University of Wyoming with a major in family and consumer sciences. Her social impact initiative is 'Bridging History: Vets Who’ve Lived It, Children Who Need It'. The initiative hopes to create a space where veterans can interact with children and they can have an exchange of thoughts. This will allow the veterans tell the history while the children will have an opportunity to learn from it.
'Miss America 2020' will be airing on December 19, Thursday at 8 pm ET on NBC.