“I’ll never forget seeing my best friend lying helpless in a hospital bed, struggling to stay alive,” recalls Abbie Stockard, Miss America 2025, and a current nursing student. “I made a promise to her at the age of nine that I would do everything in my power to fight for her and others who have cystic fibrosis.”

“Being Miss America has given me a platform for advocacy. I don’t just get to be Miss America,” Stockard says, but she gets to be so much more.

In honor of Nurses Month and Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month both taking place in May, The Nursing Beat’s COO, Raquél Pérez (and Miss Rhode Island 1st Runner-Up 2021), sat down to interview Stockard to learn more about what she hopes to accomplish in the nursing field, why she chose Cystic Fibrosis as her advocacy platfom, and how she secured the much-coveted Miss America crown as the first nursing student to do so.

Q: How did you get into pageants?

A: I was not a pageant girl by any means, but all of that changed during my freshman year of college.

I was looking to fulfill the financial needs of my family. My parents were divorced, and while they both worked extremely hard, my mom was working four jobs at the time so that my twin brother and I could go to Auburn University. I just wanted to help offset that burden in any way that I could, and Miss America is a scholarship organization.

I saw there was a local preliminary competition at Auburn University coming up, and the winner would get a full year of free residential tuition. So I competed and had absolutely no idea what I was doing, but I really enjoyed the experience and kept trying.

Q: You are the first nursing student to win Miss America—what was it like being crowned?

A: It was absolutely surreal. It took a couple of weeks for me to actually process what went on because it was all a blur the moment that it happened.

My name was called, and then I remember confetti falling from the sky. I was crying. My family was crying. It was an incredible moment. I have watched the video of me winning several times because it was a moment I’ll cherish forever.

Q: How do nursing school and pageants relate to one another?

A: Both take a lot of discipline.

They both require social and communication skills, because you’re put in environments where you have to talk to people and form relationships with strangers. You have to be comfortable stepping outside of your comfort zone.

Being Miss America plays into being an even better nurse, from the people I’m meeting to the ways in which I can amplify the profession.

Q: Why did you decide to pursue a degree in nursing?

A: I always knew that I wanted to do something in healthcare because of my family. I grew up in a household of medical professionals. When we had big family dinners, we had some very interesting conversations at the table, most of which many people's stomachs could probably not bear! But I always knew it was something I was interested in.

Once I started competing, I found I had a heart of service and compassion, and that’s exactly what nursing is about. You're directly at the bedside, forming that intimate relationship with the patient, and it's your job to ensure that they receive the highest quality of care, because that's what these people deserve when they're living some of their most vulnerable moments.

Q: What does the Miss America organization mean to you?

A: Miss America is the nation's premier empowerment platform for young women.

They do this in four key ways:

1. Scholarship. As I mentioned before, Miss America gave me a means to pay for my education. I will be graduating with my BSN completely debt-free.
2. Success. This organization gives women skill sets, allowing them to be successful. For example, this organization gave me a foundation of self-esteem, and I became a lot more comfortable with public speaking.
3. Style. You become more confident in expressing your individuality through the way that you dress.
4. Service. Service is my favorite part of competing in this organization. Every contestant has to have a service initiative, and mine is cystic fibrosis.

Q: You are a national Ambassador for Cystic Fibrosis. Why did you choose CF as your advocacy platform?

A: One of my best friends was born with CF, and we have been inseparable since the age of nine.

CF is a chronic, non-curable, genetically inherited disease. After I made a promise to fight for her and others who have this disease, I'm proud that becoming Miss America has given me a platform to do so. After becoming Miss America 2025, the National CF Foundation made me an ambassador for their foundation. My goal is to hopefully also become a board member of the Alabama CF Foundation chapter.

I have been fortunate enough to raise over $200,000 for that foundation and people across my community. So I'm hoping I can continue those efforts.

Q: 18% of nurses leave the profession in their first year. What are your nursing aspirations and why would you choose to stay?

A: I can see why that statistic is true. I even had a moment when I won Miss America of questioning if this is really what I want to do. This profession is beautiful, but it is both physically, mentally, and emotionally demanding, especially for new grads.

What affirmed that I want to return to nursing school is the very reason I chose in the first place, and it really is the impact that we get to make on people's lives during their most vulnerable moments.

In terms of my nursing aspirations, I’ll probably be in scrubs for a while in pediatrics or critical care.

I want to use the foundation of what I’ve acquired from Miss America to also work in policy and advocacy in nursing. Outside of nursing, I want to do pageantry coaching.

Final Thoughts

As both a future nurse and Miss America 2025, Stockard is showing the world that service can wear scrubs or a crown, and still change lives. Her story is a reminder that one bold decision can set a life-changing path in motion.

“Winning Miss America as a nursing student is a huge honor and very empowering to me. I get to bridge the worlds of healthcare and public service. Being Miss America is proof you don’t have to choose between the two. You can embody science, service, intellect, and influence. You can do it all.”

Follow Stockard across social media platforms at @MissAmerica or @AbbieStockard.

If you’ve ever balanced clinicals, exams, and a rhinestone crown…Or maybe just three 12s and a dentist appointment—you’ll love The Nursing Beat. Subscribe now!