Meet Miss America 2020 Camille Schrier, The Biochemist Who Won The Crown
Meet the new Miss America.
instagram Another year is coming to an end, and another Miss America has been crowned.
On December 19th, Nia Franklin passed her crown on to the new Miss America — Camille Schrier, who was Miss Virginia when she competed in this year’s pageant. After segments that included an interview, a talent portion, and a “social impact pitch,” judges Karamo Brown, Kelly Rowland, and Lauren Ash crowned Schrier the new winner, with Miss Georgia and Miss Missouri coming in right behind her.
But who is Miss America 2020? Here’s everything you need to know about Camille Schrier.
1. Who is Miss America 2020? Camille Schrier went to Virginia Tech, majoring in biochemistry.
Schrier graduated from Virginia Tech last year and has gone on to postgrad to get her Doctor of Pharmacy Degree at Virginia Commonwealth University. Schrier is 24 years old and during the broadcast, she made it clear that she did not want to be seen as a “beauty queen” if she won the title.
“I’m the brand ambassador for this organization and I’m more than just someone with a crown on my head,” Schrier said in a press conference after the competition.
2. Schrier’s platform is all about drug safety.
Her social impact pitch is called “Mind Your Meds: Drug Safety and Abuse Prevention from Pediatrics to Geriatrics,” and she was inspired to take that on from her own personal experience. Not only does it relate to her own career goals, but she also shared on stage that one of her friends lost her husband after he became addicted to opioids and became violent with her after a motorcycle crash.
3. Schrier’s onstage talent included a science experiment.
On stage during the talent portion, Schrier performed an experiment which showed the catalytic decomposition of hydrogen peroxide, which is more commonly known as “elephant’s toothpaste.” The combination of hydrogen peroxide, potassium iodide and water created a colorful explosion, making the results of the experience easy for the audience to see.
4. She only decided to compete because Miss America got rid of the swimsuit portion.
During the broadcast, Schrier revealed that she struggled with an eating disorder, and that originally prevented her from wanting to compete in the pageant.
“I never thought that I could compete in the Miss America Organization,” Schrier said during the press conference. “I kinda figured I could never step on that stage, because I was a woman who did not want to get in a swimsuit on stage, and I didn’t have a performing talent, which is really ironic now.”
But later, when Miss America eliminated the swimsuit portion, she decided she could do it, thanks to those changes being made.
5. When she’s not in pageants, Schrier shares her adventures online, especially when they involve animals.
In her personal life, Schrier is a huge fan of animals, including her cats, who have made several appearances on her Instagram. When she’s not hanging out with her furry friends, Schrier seems to enjoy traveling and spending time with her family, and can frequently be found in the lab.
6. She’s celebrating her win on Instagram.
The morning after Miss America, Schrier appeared on the Today Show, and her first Instagram post after the pageant was all about meeting host Hoda Kotb.
“Last night, my life changed forever ... and first thing this morning I got to meet one of the most incredible Hokies EVER,” Schrier wrote.
In the year ahead, we’ll be seeing a lot more of Schrier as she fulfills her duties as Miss America. It seems like she has a lot of big plans to carry out, especially when it comes to making science more accessible to everyone.
Nicole Pomarico is an entertainment and lifestyle writer whose work has appeared in Cosmo, Us Weekly, Refinery29, and more.