'It's been incredible': Wausau's Grace Stanke is excited to begin her reign as Miss America 2023

The morning after earning the title of Miss America 2023, Grace Stanke said she has appreciated the incredible support she has in her hometown in Wausau and all of central Wisconsin.

“It’s been really incredible,” Stanke said. “The community around me is part of why I am who I am today.”

That community includes dozens of volunteers throughout the Miss America Organization, from those at the local competitions to the state organization and up to Miss America. Stanke said she has been fortunate to be part of an incredible network that focuses on education, scholarships and women improving to be their best selves.

“I love them all,” she said. “Tell them we did it!”

Stanke spent the whole week in Connecticut ahead of Thursday’s final competition, competing in preliminary competitions and sharing the experience with the 50 other candidates all over the country.

“It was really incredible,” she said. “The women standing on that stage with me are truly remarkable.”

More:Who is Grace Stanke, the Miss Wisconsin nuclear engineering student and Miss America 2023 winner?

During the week of competition, Stanke won $2,500 in the talent portion on Tuesday’s preliminary competition for her performance on violin. It was then that Stanke felt that she might have a chance to earn the national title.

Stanke said she arrived in Connecticut determined to be 100% herself and stick true to who she was but recognized it’s impossible to guess what the judges are looking for each year. She said winning Tuesday’s preliminary talent competition was a turning point in the week.

“I thought, ‘I think they like me. I think they might have an eye on me as Miss America,’” she said.

As competition narrowed to the top 11 candidates, then top seven and five, Stanke stood with Taryn Delanie Smith, Miss New York, when she heard her name called as the next Miss America.

“It was absolute chaos in my mind,” she said, describing sounds of screaming in her head multiplied by 100.

While her crowning moment came as a surprise, Stanke is ready to hit the ground running when it comes to advocating for clean energy.

As Miss Wisconsin and at the Miss America competition, Stanke advocated for her social impact initiative, Clean Energy, Cleaner Future. Her passion for engineering started at a young age, watching her father work in the field. Nuclear engineering – her field of study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison – hit close to home, as nuclear energy not only provides clean and renewable energy, but it’s used in the medical field, as well. Nuclear engineering is what cured her father’s cancer.

Stanke, who has been working in the nuclear field as part of a co-op program with UW-Madison as she earns her degree, is now turning her passion to the national level. She said she wants to spend her year talking to politicians about policy around clean energy and to spread awareness throughout the country on what nuclear engineering is, specifically as a clean energy source. She wants to use speaking engagements to show the country how using nuclear energy can affect and improve the future, as it’s necessary to switch to more sustainable and alternative sources of energy.

As she looks ahead at the year in front of her, Stanke said she is most excited to begin making memories and connections as Miss America. Serving in the new role is a new opportunity to connect with and meet people she wouldn’t be able to otherwise, she said, and she’s looking forward to the chance to embrace other people and spotlight their stories.

Stanke said she’s grateful to the entire Miss America Organization for the doors the organization opens through scholarships across local, state and national competitions. As of becoming Miss America, Stanke has earned $68,900 in scholarships, and she is now considering continuing her education in graduate school, an option she hadn’t even considered before earning the national title.

In a news release Friday from the Miss America Organization, Shantel Krebs, Miss America Organization's board chair, congratulated Stanke on behalf of the organization.

“Since 1921, The Miss America Organization has been leading by example as one of the most recognizable names empowering young women through education, professional development, advocacy and community service," she said. "The role of Miss America is not of vanity, but rather community impact and contribution to the crown. Grace has strongly demonstrated her abilities and there is no doubt in our mind she – and all of this year’s class of candidates – are destined for greatness.”