Lily K. Donaldson (born September 17, 1999) is an advocate for

STEM 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 mushro ...

and Arts education for disadvantaged

K-12 K-1 is a professional kickboxing promotion established in 1993, well known worldwide mainly for its heavyweight division fights and Grand Prix tournaments. In January 2012, K-1 Global Holdings Limited, a company registered in Hong Kong, acquired ...

students. She was crowned Miss United States 2022 with a charitable platform to promote arts and science education. She is the first Miss United States to visit all 50 U.S. states during her reign. Donaldson was crowned Miss United States 2022 in her hometown ( Memphis, Tennessee) on October 16, 2022.

Early life and education

Donaldson was born in Indianapolis, Indiana and grew up in Memphis, Tennessee. She attended Newburgh Elementary School in

Newburgh, Indiana Newburgh is a borough in Ohio Township, Warrick County, Indiana, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 3,325 at the 2010 census, although the town is part of the larger Evansville metropolitan area which recorded a population of ...

, Bon Lin Middle School in Bartlett, Tennessee, and Bolton High School, a Title 1 school part of the Memphis-Shelby County school district which had defunded arts programs and a 95% math proficiency fail rate. Donaldson is a first-generation college student. She is currently a Ph.D. student at

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute () (RPI) is a private research university in Troy, New York, with an additional campus in Hartford, Connecticut. A third campus in Groton, Connecticut closed in 2018. RPI was established in 1824 by Stephen Van ...

studying controlled environment agriculture within a School of Architecture Built Ecologies program. Donaldson has a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from

American University The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, mostly in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest D.C. AU was charte ...

and a Master of Science in Lighting from

. Donaldson previously worked for the United States Department of Homeland Security and under grant from the NASA DC Space Grant Consortium.

STEM and Arts Education Advocacy

Donaldson directs a

nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

based in Memphis, Tennessee called Art Technically which promotes

(Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) and Arts education for disadvantaged students at Title 1 and rural K-12 schools. She was inspired to found Art Technically after attending Title 1 schools with underserved arts and science programs. Art Technically provides disadvantaged K-12 students with free STEM and Arts workshops, free STEM and

STEAM Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization ...

books, STEM and Arts themed toy donations including teddy bears in scientist costumes, or "Science Bears", and a program called Love Letters, where students learn to code Valentine's Day cards for

Meals on Wheels Meals on Wheels is a programme that delivers meals to individuals at home who are unable to purchase or prepare their own meals. The name is often used generically to refer to home-delivered meals programmes, not all of which are actually named ...

programs. Art Technically also hosted a science-journalism program for students funded by Society for Science in 2022. In 2022, Donaldson guest-wrote an article about her work with Art Technically for the U.S. Department of Education.

Year as Miss United States

Miss_United_States_visits_NASA_KSC_for_Crew-7_Launch

Donaldson was crowned

Miss United States 2022 Miss United States 2022 was the 36th edition of the Miss United States pageant, which occurred at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts in Memphis, Tennessee on October 17, 2022. Miss United States 2021, Samantha Keene Anderson of Arizona, cr ...

in her hometown ( Memphis, Tennessee) on October 16, 2022. She is the first Miss United States to visit all 50 U.S. states during her reign. During her year as Miss United States, Donaldson guest-wrote an article about her work with Art Technically for the U.S. Department of Education and was named to the Memphis Flyer's 2023 Memphis 20 under 30 list. During her reign, Donaldson visited

public libraries A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also civil servants. There are five fundamenta ...

to donate books and present science storytimes in Hiawatha, Kansas,

Hamburg, Iowa Hamburg is a city in Fremont County, Iowa, United States, that is the most southwestern city in Iowa, hugging the borders of Missouri to the south and Nebraska to the west. It is situated between the Nishnabotna and Missouri rivers. The populat ...

Cokeville, Wyoming Cokeville is a town in Lincoln County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 535 at the 2010 census. The town is best known for the Cokeville Elementary School hostage crisis. History The Shoshone Indians were the first inhabitants of the ...

, Dearborn Heights, Michigan, Hankinson, North Dakota,

Bozeman, Montana Bozeman is a city and the county seat of Gallatin County, Montana, United States. Located in southwest Montana, the 2020 census put Bozeman's population at 53,293, making it the fourth-largest city in Montana. It is the principal city of th ...

, and Lordsburg, New Mexico. She also visited students at the Kurn Hattin Children's Home for Valentine's Day and seniors at the

program in Bennington, Vermont. She presented science storytimes at her alma mater, Newburgh Elementary School in

. Donaldson participated in the 2023 Boston St. Patrick's Day Parade, community Christmas festivities in

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

, a Halloween parade in Menands, New York, a STEM festival and health fair in New Orleans, Louisiana, and the Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade in Honolulu. She toured Kennedy Space Center facilities and attended NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 Launch in August 2023.

Pageantry

Donaldson has competed in the Miss United States,

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 ...

, and Miss USA pageant systems. Within the Miss United States pageant system, Donaldson has held the titles of Miss Memphis US 2021, Miss Tennessee US 2021, Miss New York US 2022, and Miss United States 2022. On October 16, 2022, Donaldson was crowned Miss United States at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts in Memphis, Tennessee. At Miss United States 2021, while representing Tennessee, Donaldson placed 2nd runner-up and received the People's Choice award. Within the

pageant system, Donaldson has held the titles of Miss Mid-South's Outstanding Teen 2015 (Tennessee), Miss Tipton County's Outstanding Teen 2016 (Tennessee), Miss District of Columbia State Finalist 2018 and 2019, and Miss Franklin County 2022 (Tennessee). She performed Irish Dance for her talent and won awards for charitable fundraising and the 3rd-place Women in Business interview award at Miss Tennessee 2022 and the STEM Award at Miss District of Columbia 2019. Donaldson competed at Miss District of Columbia USA 2020 and placed top 12.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Donaldson, Lily K. 1999 births Living people People from Memphis, Tennessee American University alumni Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute alumni American beauty pageant winners