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Our next contestant, as part of our series, “The Road to Miss New Jersey,” is the current Miss Camden County, Samantha Rizzuto!

Please tell us why you chose to compete for your local county’s title?
I believe in the Miss America Organization and the values it instills in young women. For myself, I have acquired confidence, perseverance, and a heart for service through my involvement with the Miss New Jersey Education Foundation. In addition to developing these intrinsic qualities, my involvement with the Miss New Jersey Education Foundation has also provided me with an outlet to develop marketable skills, such as communication and networking skills. In this way, the Miss New Jersey Education Foundation has equipped me with the tools I need to share my passions and inspire change by offering me a title, which expands the scope of the impact I have. When I wear my crown and banner to an assembly, it immediately grabs the students’ attention. Girls look up at me like I am superwoman and boys have a genuine curiosity about what I am going to say. These reactions empower me to have a more significant and long lasting impact. I decided to compete this year both for my personal growth and for the opportunity to have a larger impact on my county, state, and nation. Additionally, I enjoy the friendships and the sisterhood of the Miss New Jersey Education Foundation.

What do you plan to accomplish if you were to win the title of Miss NJ 2016?
If selected to be Miss New Jersey 2016, I will dedicate my year to supporting the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, spreading awareness for my platform, Operation Full STEAM Ahead, and working to gain sponsors for the Miss New Jersey Education Foundation. I started working with Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals when I began competing in the Miss New Jersey’s Outstanding Teen program. Through my involvement, I have had the opportunity to spend time with the patients, learn more about where donation money is spent, and meet several Miracle Children. One of my favorite memories from working with the Children’s Miracle Network Hospital was dancing with a little girl who was a patient during a radio-thon to raise money for the hospital. As Miss New Jersey, I would continue to support Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals through spreading awareness, volunteering at hospitals, and fundraising efforts. In addition to supporting the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, I would use my year of service to spread awareness for my platform, Operation Full STEAM Ahead. My platform is centered around STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) and encompasses three key initiatives: STEAM education, breaking stereotypes surrounding STEAM, and the military applications of STEM. I have been passionate about STEAM since I was a little girl and it is invigorating to be able to share my passion and spread awareness for the importance of STEAM for our nation. Finally, the Miss New Jersey Education Foundation has partnerships with many wonderful sponsors like Training Aspects and Irene West Swimsuits. I would like to continue to expand the number of sponsors to provide more exposure for the organization as well as opportunities for the contestants to have a larger impact on our state. My hope is to gain support from New Jersey colleges in an effort to encourage more women to become involved with the Miss New Jersey Education Foundation and to gain scholarship dollars for the women in our state.

Share with our readers a bit more about you platform and why you picked this particular one.
A unique aspect of the Miss America Organization is every contestant at the local, state, and national level develops a personal platform, which is a cause she would like to champion during her year of service. My platform issue, Operation Full STEAM Ahead, is a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) based platform focusing on STEAM education, breaking stereotypes surrounding STEAM, and our military’s dependence on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). Historically, America has been a world leader in invention and innovation. This is a large part of why America’s economy was so strong, and why our standard of living is so high. But now, America’s math and science programs are falling behind, ranking only 48th globally. This is extremely detrimental to America’s economy and position as a world leader. Today, many industrial and military jobs require a strong background in STEM related fields. I believe many Americans underestimate how crucial STEM education is for our military and to keep America a world power. Advancements in STEM allow our military to develop new technologies, which prevent America from needing to put ‘boots on the ground’ and help limit innocent casualties while protecting our men and women in uniform. Both military and industrial advancements in STEM support our nation’s economy and secure America’s position as a world leader. In an effort to increase the number of people pursuing STEM related degrees, I have created an organization Full STEAM Ahead, an after school program that provides students with the opportunity to link the STEAM subjects together and have a hands on experience with STEAM that is not possible to have in a conventional classroom setting. Since its inception three years ago, Full STEAM Ahead has reached over 2000 individuals across New York and New Jersey. Through Full STEAM Ahead, I have been able to impact students’ lives by instilling in them an excitement for STEM, an awareness of how STEM is infused in the world around us, and the incredible opportunities they can have by becoming involved in STEM.

I also hope that I have encouraged young girls to pursue their STEM interests, regardless of the negative stereotypes associated with STEM. I have personally experienced the impact of these stereotypes. Every time I am assigned a new lab group to work with, I have to work harder than anyone else in the group to prove that I am competent enough to actually do the lab. In the past, my input has been dismissed and I have been prevented from running the experiment. I attribute these reactions to be a result of a stereotype I do not match. I am not what many people imagine when they think of an intelligent girl in a STEM related field. Because of these experiences, I am motivated to help young girls gain a passion for STEM at an early age, and encourage them to become leaders in STEM. By challenging the negative stigma surrounding STEAM and providing hands on experiences to help students develop a passion for STEAM, I believe I am able to help ensure America’s future as a world leader by increasing the number of American Youth interested in pursuing a STEM related degree.

“Bravura” is an artistic word for exceptional; in your own words, tell us what makes you ‘bravura’!
I am exceptional in my dedication to self-improvement and involvement. What I considered great for me yesterday is only mediocre for today. I am a goal setter and committed to pursuing my dreams wholeheartedly. I believe in hard work and determination. This belief has shattered many stereotypes and limitations that people tried to place upon me. For example, in high school many of my classmates struggled with the idea that I could be an attractive girl and a part of the Academy for Mathematics, Science, and Engineering, a program housed at Morris Hills High School. As a result, there were many times when my classmates both in and out of the Academy would try to make me feel inferior or less intelligent than themselves. However, I stayed determined to continued to work hard and committed to my dream of becoming a successful physicist and engineer for the US Military. As a result, I was able to not only graduate from the Academy for Mathematics, Science, and Engineering with honors, but also pursue a double major in Physics and Aerospace Engineering at Auburn University. My first semester at Auburn I faced many of the same stereotypes and challenged the limitations people continued to try and place on me. Again, through perseverance and hard work, I was able break free of these limitations and stereotypes by earning a 3.93 GPA my first semester, being placed on the Dean’s List, and being recognized by the Physics Department with the Outstanding Freshman of 2016 Award. I am confident that I have been able to be a role model through my dedication and ability to overcome stereotypes. I hope I have inspired others to reject limitations placed on them by society and pursue their dreams wholeheartedly.

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To purchase tickets for the upcoming Miss New Jersey pageant, please visit THIS LINK.