Before competing at Miss America 2025, Abbie Stockard wanted to make sure she was prepared for the interview round.
So, the 22-year-old Auburn University student prepared a binder with 150 political and current event topics, which she studied every day for months.
The hard work paid off on January 5, when Stockard became the fourth Miss Alabama to win Miss America in the organization’s 104-year history.
In a recent interview with Business Insider, Stockard revealed how she prepared for the competition and why she thinks it’s important that Miss America can speak on global issues.
The Miss America pageant features rounds in evening wear, fitness, talent, and interviews. The latter includes an eight-minute private interview with judges during the preliminary competition and an onstage question during the finals.
“They can ask you literally anything, so you have to be prepared for it,” Stockard said.
In addition to doing two to three mock interviews a week, Stockard said she went through her binder of 150 topics every day.
“I would be like, ‘OK, I’m going to cover topics one through 20 today, and I’m going to look at statistics and formulate some talking points,’” Stockard recalled. “I looked at it like I was studying for a test. That’s the nursing student in me.”
“That’s what took up the most of my time,” she added. “Making sure I was prepared but also keeping up with current news stories and making sure I could formulate an opinion if asked about them.”
During her private interview, Stockard said she was asked what age she thought it was appropriate for a child to have a cellphone or social media, as well as how she would define diversity. During the onstage final on January 5, contestants also discussed censorship, national debt, housing, and immigration.
While questions regarding hot-button issues and current events remain a staple of Miss America, they have disappeared from the Miss USA pageant. Their absence is no accident.
When Laylah Rose took over as owner and CEO of the troubled organization in September 2023, she decided that interview questions involving politics, religion, or sex were off-limits. She told BI at the time that she wanted to highlight the contestants “as individuals, and I really want them to shine within themselves and who they are.”
Amid a July 2024 investigation into the Miss USA Organization, multiple past contestants told BI they were shocked by the change and said it diminished the purpose of the pageant.
“Most women get into pageantry because they feel like there’s a voice that’s missing,” said Miss Utah 2020 Rachel Slawson, the first bisexual woman to compete at Miss USA. “Taking that away from women is just really watering them down, and very disappointing when you spend so many years working to have a platform and have your voice heard.”
“It removes any individuality to the titleholder so they can be used for anyone and anything,” Miss Montana 2020 Merissa Underwood told BI. “It feels akin to the beginning, when Miss USA was literally just about selling swimsuits.”
As the new Miss America, Stockard said she believes it’s important that she can “speak out on the timely issues of my generation today.”
“It doesn’t necessarily mean speaking out about my political opinions, but simply using my platform to encourage civic engagement and encourage people to vote, volunteer, and stay informed because I think that is necessary for the future of our democracy,” Stockard told BI.
“We have a lot of political and social issues ruling the news today,” she added. “I want the world to know that Miss America is a light, she’s a role model, she’s an inspiration, and she can engage with people regardless of their age, their background, or their political beliefs.”
The post The new Miss America prepared for the competition by studying a binder with 150 political and current event topics appeared first on Business Insider.
