Miss New York 2024 - Abby Quammen

My journey with the Miss America Opportunity began nearly a decade ago when, at just fourteen, I was a young girl seeking confidence, purpose, and stability. I found all of that—and more—through this program. As Miss Kentucky’s Teen 2017, I earned the Miss America’s Teen Presidential Scholarship and pursued a degree in Musical Theatre at The University of Alabama. Surrounded by fellow titleholders who became lifelong friends, I stepped onto stages I had only dreamed of and grew into a confident, determined woman who knows she doesn’t need a crown to make a difference.

As Miss New York, my mission is to close the literacy gap by empowering children to read and equipping them with the tools to succeed. My community service initiative, Read → Lead → Succeed, was born from my own story—when my family lost our home at age 12, reading became my safe haven. From cookbooks to classics, books offered me consistency and hope during a time of chaos. Today, I bring that same hope to children through after-school programs in Title I schools, one-on-one tutoring with Reading Partners, and a national reading challenge, Book Buddies, which helps kids develop comprehension and conflict resolution skills through reading.

Outside of advocacy, I’m a career fundraiser and MBA candidate at NYU, specializing in leadership and change management. I help donors build legacies through scholarships and credit the Miss America Opportunity for guiding me toward this path. My ultimate goal is to serve as Executive Vice President of Programs for a major philanthropic foundation, championing educational equity through revitalized libraries and programming for underserved schools.

I am deeply honored to serve as Miss New York, not for recognition, but as a vessel to uplift the people and communities I love. This year, I’m committed to expanding literacy opportunities across New York’s 700 school districts and raising a record-breaking amount for the Miss New York Organization. Most of all, I hope every person I meet—whether in person or online—doesn’t just know Miss New York, but feels like they are friends with her.

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