Our series, "The Road to Miss Massachusetts," continues with the next contestant, Samantha McGraw, who is the current Miss Collegiate Area! Continue reading to learn more about Samantha and her journey to the crown!

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Please share with our readers your title & platform.
In April, I was crowned Miss Collegiate Area 2017. My platform is The Wheelchair Foundation.

How long have you competed in pageants? How do you think you’ve personally grown with all your prior pageant experience?
I have been a competitor in the Miss America Organization since the November of 2014. Pageants have helped me beyond belief with my speaking skills. I vividly remember how awful my first local interview was, but over the years I have had more life experiences as well as practice with collecting my thoughts and voicing them in an organized manner. Being able to speak is a tool I can use everyday, and I am beyond thankful I have developed that skill through pageantry.

In regards to your platform, why did you choose to go with this particular one?
My story begins in the fourth grade when I was misdiagnosed. My doctor believed I was just experiencing “ordinary growing pains,” when I really had a condition called Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis. After enduring the most painful year of my life, my condition was finally diagnosed correctly. Unfortunately, my case turned rather extreme due to the misdiagnosis, which led to a full a bilateral slip. If I had taken just one more step, I would have had an unfixable ambulatory disability. August 2012, after a total of three surgeries and what had felt like endless amounts of physical therapy, I beat all odds against me and took my first steps again. From that point on, I wanted to stand up and make a difference in the disabled community. I began by donating my wheelchair to The Wheelchair Foundation; a non profit organization that promotes disability acceptance and uses donations to provide wheelchairs to anyone who needs one but cannot afford one. Since donating my first wheelchair, I have become progressively more involved, and am now a Massachusetts ambassador for The Wheelchair Foundation.

How has working alongside your platform made you into a stronger person?
Working with my platform, The Wheelchair Foundation, has allowed me to hear stories from people with ambulatory disabilities and motor impairments. Each story I have ever heard has inspired me to fight harder for disability rights and acceptance in our world today. The reason I advocate is because no one should feel limited in a society full of opportunities.

What have you learned from your current Miss Massachusetts, which you hope to carry with you if you were to win the title of Miss Massachusetts?
Our current Miss Massachusetts, Alissa Musto, is a spit fire, and I totally admire that. She openly speaks about whatever is on her mind, and it allows people to see that she is a confident, passionate, and outspoken individual who recognizes how voices can make an impact in our world. As Miss Massachusetts 2017, I too will use my voice and title to stand up and speak out for what I believe in.

As a title-holder, what is one of the single-most important messages, which you think you convey to your followers?
If someone tells you that you are limited or lack the capability of doing something, prove them wrong. If you believe in yourself and work hard towards what you want to accomplish, no one’s words will get in the way of that.

If you were to win the title of Miss Massachusetts, what is the one thing which you would strive the hardest to accomplish?
As Miss Massachusetts, I want to start medical equipment drive that would refurbish used medical equipment such as wheelchairs, shower seats, scooters, ext. to then be distributed around the Commonwealth to those who need it, but can not afford it. During the drive, I want to stress the importance of acceptance of those with motor impairments and disabilities.

Imagine you’re competing for Miss America, and your roommate has never visited Massachusetts; how would you describe your state to your roommate?
Massachusetts has an extensive amount of history, abundance of culture, impeccable hospitals, top ranked colleges and universities, and of course Dunkin’ Donuts on nearly every corner. It might be a small state, but it is full of people with BIG personalities.

If you could place three items in a time capsule, which represent the women of today, what would they be and why?

1. A kettlebell; women mentally and physically have strength.
2. A light bulb; women are intelligent.
3. A telephone; woman have brilliant communication and listening skills.

Because of media, many people tend to look at pageant with a very scrutinizing opinion; For you. personally, what have been some of the biggest benefits of being a part of the Miss America Organization. And how would you share the positive nature of pageants with others who may not be familiar?
The Miss America Organization is the largest scholarship program for women in America. I am a junior attending Bridgewater State University for Exercise Science, and a degree does not pay for itself. Currently, I am seventy-thousand dollars in debt, and since I am financially independent, the loan is under my name. The scholarships I have received from the Miss America Organization have helped chip away at the debt I am in, and I couldn’t be more thankful. Pageants are not all diamonds and lashes; it is an experience that positively impacts one’s future.

“Bravura” is an artistic word for exceptional; in your opinion, what makes you “bravura”?
I am fearless. I will always embrace a struggle, use my voice to stand up for what is right, dream big, and stay true to myself. Above anything else, I believe that makes me bravura.

Where can fans follow you on social media?
IG: SamMcGraww, FB: Samantha McGraw- Miss Collegiate Area 2017 (@SamanthaMcGrawMAO), and YouTube: Inspire, Create, Dedicate Films (ICDC Films).

What advice do you have for those who want to take part in pageants?
Just dive into it. It is an experience of a lifetime that has made me into the best version of myself, and any young woman would benefit from being apart of the Miss America Organization.

What words of thanks do you have for those who have helped to bring you to where you are today in the Miss Massachusetts Class of 2017?
To my family, friends, business managers, board members, and anyone else that has ever believed in me, thank you. Feeling supported is the extra push I need when competing for Miss Massachusetts, and you all have gone out of your way to do so.

What final words do you have for the readers of Bravura Magazine?
On June 30th and July 1st I will be walking across the stage in extremely high heels, doing something that I was told would never be possible. My eighteen inch scars will not be covered up, because they tell my story of resilience. My final words to the readers of Bravura Magazine; embrace your imperfections, share your story, and make what others view as impossible, a reality.