Grace Stanke

Last updated
Grace Stanke
Grace Stanke - Miss America 2023 (52753038582) (cropped).jpg
Stanke in 2023
Born
Grace Marie Stanke

(2002-04-30) April 30, 2002 (age 21)
Wausau, Wisconsin, U.S.
Education University of Wisconsin–Madison
Known forMiss America 2023
Height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
TitleMiss Wausau's Outstanding Teen 2016
Miss Harbor Cities' Outstanding Teen 2017
Miss Wisconsin's Outstanding Teen 2017
Miss Wisconsin 2022
Miss America 2023
TermDecember 15, 2022 – January 14, 2024
Predecessor Emma Broyles
Successor Madison Marsh

Grace Marie Stanke (born April 30, 2002) is an American pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss America 2023 on December 15, 2022. [1] A native of Wausau, Wisconsin, she is the third Miss Wisconsin to win the national title. [2] She is a nuclear engineer and national advocate for nuclear power. [3]

Contents

Early life and education

Stanke is a graduate of Wausau West High School. [4] Her father is a civil engineer. [5] She began competing as a local titleholder in the Miss America's Outstanding Teen pageant circuit to improve her violin skills. [6] Stanke was crowned Miss Wausau's Outstanding Teen in 2016, Miss Harbor Cities' Outstanding Teen in 2017, and finally Miss Wisconsin's Outstanding Teen 2017. [7]

Stanke started competing in the Miss America system again after she turned 18 to earn scholarship money. [6] She competed at Miss Wisconsin 2021 as Miss Madison, where she was a semi-finalist. [4] [7] Stanke was crowned Miss Wisconsin 2022 on June 18, 2022 while representing Badgerland, becoming the first woman to hold both state Miss and Teen titles. [8] In addition to the title, Stanke won Preliminary Talent and $12,500 in scholarships. [9] [10] She studied nuclear engineering at University of Wisconsin–Madison. [11]

Miss America 2023

On December 15, 2022, Stanke won the title of Miss America 2023 and a $50,000 scholarship. [12] [13] During the competition, Stanke received a preliminary talent award and a $2,500 scholarship for her classical violin performance of "Summer: III. Presto" from the Four Seasons by Vivaldi. [14] She spent her year as Miss America raising awareness about nuclear power and zero-carbon energy sources. [15] During her reign, Stanke visited nuclear power plants across the United States [16] including the Vogtle Electric Generating Plant in Georgia, [17] the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station in western Arizona, [18] and Hanford Site in Washington, [19] [20] and Energy Northwest in Washington. [3] She also spoke about the benefits of nuclear power at the Dairyland Power Cooperative 2023 annual meeting in La Crosse, Wisconsin [21] and at the American Nuclear Society's 2023 annual conference in Indianapolis, Indiana. [22] Stanke served as the Grand Marshal of the 36th Annual Arizona Public Service Electric Light Parade. [23]

During a 'Miss America World Tour', Stanke traveled to Canada, [24] Fukushima, and COP28 in Dubai. [25]

In July 2023, Stanke interviewed with CNN about the "Barbenheimer" phenomenon and her experience with both pageants and nuclear science. [26] [27] In September 2023, Stanke lent some of her sashes, gowns, and crowns to the Marathon County Historical Society in her hometown for an exhibit there called 'A Woman Who Can'. [28] During her reign, the Wall Street Journal declared Stanke "the new face of nuclear energy." [29] Stanke was named to the 2024 Forbes 30 under 30 for Energy list. [30]

For her last appearance as Miss America (before the 2024 competition), Stanke spoke to sixth grade girls at elementary schools in Idaho Falls about STEM and nuclear engineering in a partnership with the Idaho National Laboratory. [31]

Stanke traveled over 270,000 miles during her year as Miss America. [31] [32]

Nuclear Engineering

Stanke completed her bachelor's degree in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2024. [33] She is currently a Nuclear Engineer for Constellation Energy. [33] [32] Stanke continues to advocate for nuclear power and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education across the United States. [34] [35] [36]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miss Wisconsin</span> Beauty pageant competition

The Miss Wisconsin competition is the pageant, held annually in Oshkosh, that selects the representative for the U.S. state of Wisconsin in the annual Miss America pageant.

The Miss Virginia competition is a scholarship pageant for women, with the titleholder representing Virginia in the Miss America pageant. The competition was founded in 1953 as a scholarship contest for young women, although women had represented Virginia in the Miss America pageant since the 1930s. Four Miss Virginia winners have gone on to be crowned Miss America, including former national titleholder Caressa Cameron.

Wausau West High School is a public high school serving students in grades 9 to 12 of the Wausau School District. It was built in 1970 on the west side of the city of Wausau, Wisconsin to accommodate the growing city population. Its enrollment is approximately 1,775. Its rival school is Wausau East High School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miss Wisconsin's Outstanding Teen</span>

The Miss Wisconsin's Teen competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the U.S. state of Wisconsin in the Miss America's Teen pageant. The pageant is held each June in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miss California's Outstanding Teen</span>

The Miss California's Teen competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the U.S. state of California in the Miss America's Teen pageant.

The Miss Florida's Teen competition is the competition that selects the representative for the U.S. state of Florida in the Miss America's Teen competition.

The Miss Nebraska's Teen competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the U.S. state of Nebraska in the Miss America's Teen pageant.

The Miss Pennsylvania's Teen competition selects the representative for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the Miss America's Teen Competition. The Miss Pennsylvania's Teen Competition is held each June at the Appell Center for Performing Arts in York, Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miss America 2014</span> 87th edition of the Miss America competition

Miss America 2014, the 87th Miss America pageant was held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey Sunday, September 15, 2013. Miss America 2013, Mallory Hagan crowned the winner, Miss New York, Nina Davuluri, who served as Miss America until September 14, 2014.

For the state pageant affiliated with Miss Teen USA, see Miss Iowa Teen USA

The Miss Louisiana's Teen competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the U.S. state of Louisiana in the Miss America's Teen pageant. The pageant is held each April at the Brown Auditorium at the University of Louisiana at Monroe in Monroe, Louisiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cara Mund</span> American beauty pageant winner (born 1993)

Cara D. Mund is an American attorney, politician, and former beauty pageant titleholder from Bismarck, North Dakota. In June 2017, she was crowned Miss North Dakota 2017. On September 10, 2017, she was crowned Miss America 2018 in Atlantic City and became the first contestant from North Dakota to win the competition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miss America's Outstanding Teen 2018</span>

Miss America's Outstanding Teen 2018 was the 12th Miss America's Outstanding Teen pageant held at the Linda Chapin Theatre in the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida on July 29, 2017, the same date as Miss Teen USA 2017. Nicole Jia of Oklahoma crowned her successor Jessica Baeder of Alabama at the end of the event. This was the first time that Miss Alabama's Outstanding Teen captured the title of Miss America's Outstanding Teen.

For the state pageant affiliated with Miss Teen USA, see Miss Hawaii Teen USA

For the state pageant affiliated with Miss Teen USA, see Miss Mississippi Teen USA

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miss America's Outstanding Teen 2015</span> Beauty pageant edition

Miss America's Outstanding Teen 2015 was the 9th Miss America's Outstanding Teen pageant held at the Linda Chapin Theater in the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida on August 2, 2014. At the conclusion of the event, Leah Sykes of Florida crowned her successor Olivia McMillan of Georgia. Miss America 2014 Nina Davuluri was a host of the event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miss America 2023</span> 95th edition of the Miss America competition

Miss America 2023 was the 95th edition of the Miss America pageant, which occurred at the Mohegan Sun on December 16, 2022. The 2023 calendar year, based on several sources, may be the final year at Mohegan Sun.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miss America's Outstanding Teen 2023</span>

Miss America's Outstanding Teen 2023 was the 16th Miss America's Outstanding Teen pageant held on August 12, 2022 at the Hyatt Regency Dallas in Dallas, Texas. The preliminary competition was held on August 10 & 11, 2022. This was the first time the national pageant was not held in Orlando, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lily K. Donaldson</span>

Lily K. Donaldson is an advocate for STEM and Arts education for disadvantaged K-12 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.

References

  1. ↑ NJ.com, Amy Kuperinsky | NJ Advance Media for (2022-12-16). "Miss America 2023: Live updates from the pay-per-stream". nj. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  2. ↑ "Miss Wisconsin Grace Stanke crowned as Miss America 2023". The Economic Times. 2022-12-16. ISSN   0013-0389 . Retrieved 2023-04-02.
  3. 1 2 Producer, Michael LeCompte, Digital Content (2023-08-03). "Miss America visits Tri-Cities, touts nuclear energy and STEM". NBC Right Now. Retrieved 2023-09-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. 1 2 "Who is Grace Stanke, the 2023 Miss America Winner?". www.jsonline.com. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  5. ↑ "A conversation with Grace Stanke, Miss America 2023". www.ans.org. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
  6. 1 2 "A conversation with Grace Stanke, Miss America 2023". www.ans.org. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
  7. 1 2 Rock, Audrey (2022-12-16). "Grace Stanke: 5 Things About Miss America's 2023 Winner From Wisconsin". Hollywood Life. Retrieved 2023-04-02.
  8. ↑ "Miss Badgerland Grace Stanke Crowned Miss Wisconsin 2022". www.thenorthwestern.com. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  9. ↑ Guernsey, Melody. "Grace Stanke crowned Miss Wisconsin 2022". WKOW. Retrieved 2023-04-02.
  10. ↑ Rock, Audrey (2022-12-16). "Grace Stanke: 5 Things About Miss America's 2023 Winner From Wisconsin". Hollywood Life. Retrieved 2023-04-02.
  11. ↑ "Nuclear engineering student crowned Miss America 2023". news.wisc.edu.
  12. ↑ "Miss Wisconsin Grace Stanke Crowned as Miss America 2023". www.nypost.com. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  13. ↑ "Meet the 20-year-old who was just named Miss America". KCRA. 2022-12-16. Retrieved 2023-04-02.
  14. ↑ Miss Wisconsin wins talent portion of Miss America competition with violin performance, 2022-12-15, retrieved 2022-12-16
  15. ↑ "Miss Wisconsin Grace Stanke crowned as Miss America 2023". 2022-12-16. Retrieved 2023-04-02.
  16. ↑ "Can nuclear energy save the Earth? Miss America Grace Stanke is an advocate". Wausau Daily Herald. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  17. ↑ "Miss America Grace Stanke Visits Georgia's Plant Vogtle Nuclear Site". Yahoo Finance. 2023-06-01. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  18. ↑ "Miss America Grace Stanke visited Arizona. Touring a nuclear power plant was on her to-do list". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  19. ↑ Fitzgerald, Rylee (2023-05-25). "Miss America, nuclear engineering grad Grace Stanke tours Hanford Site". YakTriNews.com. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  20. ↑ "Miss America Brings Nuclear Energy Message to Women Engineers at Hanford". Energy.gov. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
  21. ↑ Williams, Brad (2023-06-08). "Miss America talks nuclear power at annual meeting for Dairyland in La Crosse". WIZM 92.3FM 1410AM. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  22. ↑ Proctor, Darrell (2023-06-08). "The POWER Interview: Miss America Talks Importance of Nuclear Power". POWER Magazine. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  23. ↑ "Phoenix, APS name grand marshal of Electric Light Parade - Daily Independent". The Daily Independent at YourValley.net. 2023-10-14. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
  24. ↑ "Miss America 2023: A look at Grace Stanke's year of service". Wausau Daily Herald. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  25. ↑ Menser, Paul (2024-01-08). "Miss America visits to talk STEM, nuclear engineering, self-confidence". Idaho National Laboratory. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  26. ↑ "Miss America 2023, Grace Stanke is a real-life 'Barbenheimer', here's why". Hindustan Times. 2023-07-22. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
  27. ↑ Miss America on her unique insight into "Barbenheimer" mania | CNN, 2023-07-21, retrieved 2023-09-08
  28. ↑ Sepeda, Kassandra (2023-09-06). "Miss America exhibit "Graces" Marathon County Historical Society". WSAW-TV. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  29. ↑ Hiller, Jennifer (2023-09-23). "The New Face of Nuclear Energy Is Miss America". WSJ. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
  30. ↑ "Grace Stanke". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  31. 1 2 Menser, Paul (2024-01-08). "Miss America visits to talk STEM, nuclear engineering, self-confidence". Idaho National Laboratory. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  32. 1 2 "CARD 2024: Conference for Advanced Reactor Deployment". event.asme.org. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  33. 1 2 "Grace Stanke". Foro Nuclear. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  34. ↑ Media, Griffin. "2023 Miss America, Nuclear Engineer, Speaks To Girls At Tulsa's Discovery Lab". www.newson6.com. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  35. ↑ Sink, Casey (2024-02-21). "Grace Stanke, nuclear engineer and Miss America 2023, to give SciFest keynote". News and Events. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  36. ↑ "CARD 2024: Conference for Advanced Reactor Deployment". event.asme.org. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Miss America
2023		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Jennifer Schmidt
 Miss Wisconsin
2022		Succeeded by
Kylene Spanbauer
Preceded by
Kylene Spanbauer
 Miss Wisconsin's Outstanding Teen
2017		Succeeded by
Mandi Genord
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.