Grace Marie Stanke (born April 30, 2002) is an American beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned
Miss America
Miss America is an annual competition that is open to women from the United States between the ages of 17 and 25. Originating in 1921 as a "bathing beauty revue", the contest is now judged on competitors' talent performances and interviews. As ...
on December 15, 2022. A native of
Wausau, Wisconsin, she is the third
Miss Wisconsin to win the national title.
Early life and education
Stanke is a graduate of
Wausau West High School and began competing in pageants at a young age. Beginning as a local titleholder, Stanke was crowned
Miss Wisconsin's Outstanding Teen
The Miss Wisconsin's Outstanding Teen competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the U.S. state of Wisconsin in the Miss America's Outstanding Teen pageant. The pageant is held each June in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
Evelyn Green ...
2017, her second time competing for the title.
Stanke studies
nuclear engineering
Nuclear engineering is the branch of engineering concerned with the application of breaking down atomic nuclei ( fission) or of combining atomic nuclei (fusion), or with the application of other sub-atomic processes based on the principles of n ...
at the
University of Wisconsin-Madison
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...
and is an advocate for
nuclear energy
Nuclear energy may refer to:
*Nuclear power, the use of sustained nuclear fission or nuclear fusion to generate heat and electricity
* Nuclear binding energy, the energy needed to fuse or split a nucleus of an atom
*Nuclear potential energy
...
awareness and
STEM education
Stem or STEM may refer to:
Plant structures
* Plant stem, a plant's aboveground axis, made of vascular tissue, off which leaves and flowers hang
* Stipe (botany), a stalk to support some other structure
* Stipe (mycology), the stem of a mush ...
.
She competed at
Miss Wisconsin 2021, where she was a semi-finalist.
Stanke was crowned
Miss Wisconsin 2022 on June 18, 2022, becoming the first woman to hold both state Miss and Teen titles. In addition to the title, Stanke won Preliminary Talent and $12,500 in scholarships.
Pageantry
Miss Wausau's Outstanding Teen 2016
Stanke first started within the organization at 14 years old as Miss Wausau's Outstanding Teen, which was an at-large title.
Miss Wisconsin's Outstanding Teen 2016
Stanke competed at Miss Wisconsin's Outstanding Teen 2016 at the age of 14. She was a non-finalist.
Miss Harbor Cities' Outstanding Teen 2017
In March 2017, Stanke won the title of Miss Harbor Cities' Outstanding Teen 2017 at the age of 14.
Miss Wisconsin's Outstanding Teen 2017
In June 2017, Stanke won the title of Miss Wisconsin's Outstanding Teen 2017 on her second try at the age of 15.
Miss America's Outstanding Teen 2018
Stanke competed for the title of Miss America's Outstanding Teen 2018 in July 2017 at the age of 15. She did not advance to the finals or win any extra awards.
Miss Madison 2020
In January 2020, Stanke won the title of Miss Madison at the age of 17. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she would compete at Miss Wisconsin 2021 and hold the title until January 2022.
Miss Wisconsin 2021
In June 2021, Stanke competed at Miss Wisconsin 2021 and finished in the Top 11 at the age of 19.
Miss Badgerland 2022
In March 2022, Stanke won the title of Miss Badgerland at the age of 19.
Miss Wisconsin 2022
In June 2022, Stanke competed and won Miss Wisconsin 2022 at the age of 20. She was also a preliminary talent winner along with the overall interview winner.
Miss America 2023
In December 2022, Stanke competed and won the title of Miss America at the age of 20. She was also a preliminary talent winner.
Miss America 2023
Stanke bested first runner up and
Miss New York 2022, Taryn Delanie Smith, winning the title of Miss America 2023 and a $50,000 scholarship. During the competition, Stanke received a preliminary talent award and a $2,500 scholarship for her classical violin performance of “Storm” from the Four Seasons by
Vivaldi
Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist and impresario of Baroque music. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lifetime was widespread a ...
. Her social impact initiative is "Clean Energy, Cleaner Future", which stems from her education on the energy crisis. She will spend her year as Miss America helping the country convert to zero-carbon energy with an emphasis on nuclear power.
References
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Living people
2002 births
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