Miss America 2023 winner, Miss Wisconsin Grace Stanke, reflects on her shocking win: 'Just absolute chaos' - Fox News

Miss Wisconsin Grace Stanke, a atomic engineering student, was crowned Miss America 2023.

The ceremonial took spot Thursday nighttime astatine the Mohegan Sun Arena successful Uncasville, Connecticut. Miss New York Taryn Delanie Smith was crowned archetypal runner-up and Miss Texas Averie Bishop was named 2nd runner-up.

"[It was] conscionable implicit chaos," the Wausau autochthonal told Fox News Digital astir proceeding her location authorities called. "There [were] nary thoughts, conscionable screaming and excitement. And past aft it benignant of sunk successful a small spot due to the fact that I inactive deliberation it hasn’t afloat sunk in… it’s the grant of being the typical of those… unthinkable women that I stood connected that signifier with."

"Every azygous 1 of those women is doing thing almighty successful their community," the 20-year-old shared. "Some are going to spell connected to go trauma surgeons, immoderate are attorneys, immoderate are conscionable making a immense quality successful their communities. And being selected arsenic Miss America 2023 is conscionable a immense honor."

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Miss Wisconsin Grace Stanke was crowned Miss America connected Thursday night. (Miss America Organization)

The apical 11 finalists were 10 women selected by the judges and 1 selected by America’s vote. They included Miss Nevada Heather Renner, Miss Hawaii Lauren Teruya, Miss Oregon Sophia Takla, Miss Ohio Elizabette Nies, Miss Indiana Elizabeth Hallal and Miss Illinois Monica Mia Jones, who was selected by voters arsenic the 11th contestant to marque the cut.

Stanke succeeds Emma Broyles, the archetypal Miss Alaska contestant to triumph the Miss America rubric successful the competition’s 100-year history. Along with the crown, Stanke was awarded a $50,000 currency scholarship, arsenic good arsenic a $2,500 assistance she received arsenic a preliminary endowment victor for her classical violin performance.

"I started successful Miss America’s Outstanding Teen enactment erstwhile I was 13 years old," Stanke explained. "I was a violinist and I had conscionable started competing successful section violin competitions. At the time, I was shaking, I forgot my euphony — overall, everything that could person gone incorrect went wrong. So 13-year-old maine wanted to find different ways to amended my show capabilities. And I recovered the Miss America’s Outstanding Teen organization, which has the endowment information of the competition. And I besides learned interviewing skills. I gained lifelong friends, I earned assistance dollars and I could instrumentality with the organization. … And present present I americium arsenic Miss America 2023!"

Stanke, a student astatine the University of Wisconsin, impressed the sheet of judges with her classical violin skills. She played "Storm" from Vivaldi’s "Four Seasons." Stanke revealed she was anxious to travel successful her sister’s philharmonic footsteps.

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Grace Stanke, who comes from a philharmonic family, impressed judges astatine the Miss America contention with her classical violin performance. (Miss America Organization)

"My puerility happening was I did gymnastics, but past I discontinue successful 2nd people erstwhile I was 8 years old," she said. "And past my parents encouraged america to person a hobby due to the fact that some my sister and I discontinue astatine the aforesaid clip from gymnastics. So she picked the viola, an orchestral instrument… And my member played trombone astatine the time… I had narrowed it down to either flute oregon violin. And of course, I followed my sister due to the fact that I was 8 years old. And that’s truly however I started with violin… As I continued to turn and larn much astir it, I loved learning however a classical instrumentality tin beryllium taken with a modern twist and make immoderate truly unthinkable music."

"I ever thought a violin would conscionable beryllium Vivaldi oregon Beethoven, similar each of those classical pieces," Stanke continued. "But I’ve besides played ‘Thunderstruck' by AC/DC and I person played ‘Smooth Criminal' by Michael Jackson. I person played truthful galore amusive pieces connected the violin that it conscionable goes to amusement the unthinkable powerfulness of the arts."

The glitzy contention was calved from a 1921 Atlantic City quality contest conscionable a twelvemonth aft women were fixed the close to vote. Faithful Miss America organizers and enthusiasts contend the yearly ritual is present to enactment and volition support changing with the times. Many participants accidental the enactment — a ample supplier of assistance assistance to young women — has been life-altering, opening doors for them professionally and personally.

Stanke is alert that galore critics importune the contention is outdated. However, she pointed retired that the show, much of a sisterhood, celebrates enactment and talent.

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Grace Stanke wants to rise consciousness of cleanable vigor during her reign. (Miss America Organization)

"I would accidental arsenic a atomic engineer… idiosyncratic who’s present to marque a difference, are the each azygous 1 of those 51 women lasting connected that signifier determination to conscionable vie successful a quality pageant? No, we’re present to alteration the world. We’re present to beryllium the champion mentation of ourselves that we tin be. The Miss America enactment helped signifier maine to beryllium who I americium today. And I’m definite galore of the women up connected that stage, if not each of them, would accidental the aforesaid thing," she asserted.

The contention besides makes her adjacent much arrogant to beryllium an American, said Stanke.

"I’m conscionable proud… of however overmuch enactment and creativity that comes from the American people," she said. "The magnitude of agreed feeling that we get truly is conscionable awesome… Miss America is an accidental to talk to radical each crossed the country. And it’s 1 happening that everyone tin get behind. And that’s what’s truly awesome astir America."

In the caller year, Stanke wants to usage her level to rise consciousness of cleanable energy.

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Grace Stanke succeeds Emma Broyles, the archetypal Miss Alaska contestant to triumph the Miss America rubric successful the competition’s 100-year history. (Araya Doheny/Getty Images)

"Right now, America is transitioning to zero-carbon vigor for a assortment of reasons," Stanke explained. "One, clime alteration is simply a scientifically proven, existent happening that we request to commencement addressing arsenic 1 of the world’s starring c emanation countries. But past besides close now, the globe is moving retired of fossil fuels. That’s conscionable an inevitable truth. So we request to commencement uncovering different options for our energy arsenic our colonisation continues to grow. So with that, moving implicit to zero-carbon vigor is going to beryllium a important thing. I’m excited to speech about… each these antithetic types of vigor options that we person and however our homes tin assistance marque a quality successful the globe."

Stanke is besides anxious to stock her emotion for the Midwest arsenic she embarks connected traveling the country.

"The 'Midwest nice' is precise real," she said. "That's 1 happening that I emotion astir my location state. One happening I'm excited to bring to the occupation of Miss America arsenic I question crossed the state is sharing that small spot of Wisconsin culture, of conscionable saying, ‘Hey, fto maine clasp the doorway unfastened for you.' The small things that tin make… someone's day. It’s conscionable a portion of Wisconsin that I love."

"I’m going to contiguous 100 percent of myself," she added. "That’s the astir important thing. My household and friends cognize that arsenic well. I’m Miss America, but I’m besides conscionable me."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.