Miss America 2020 is a Biochemist and Newtown Native

Camille Schrier (Photo from Miss America Organization, Facebook)

The Miss America Competition aired Thursday, December 19 on NBC, and the winner was a Bucks County native! While 24-year-old scientist Camille Schrier represented Virginia (where she goes to college) in the competition, she's originally from Newtown, PA. The Hun School alumna is a pharmacy graduate student at Virginia Commonwealth University.

The Miss America Competition has recently undergone several changes, including a focus on interviews and social impact initiatives and a move away from segments such as the ballgown and swimsuit judging. And so, it was fitting that the winner stole the show with a unique talent! As the other four finalists sang songs, performed dances and twirled batons, Camille wowed the audience and judges by performing a chemistry demonstration.

Camille Schrier (Photo from Miss America Organization on Facebook)

Smiling broadly in her white lab coat, Camille stated, “I've loved science since I was a little girl. It's my mission to show kids that science is fun, relevant and easy to understand.” She then poured potassium iodide into three separate beakers that contained concentrated hydrogen peroxide, food coloring and dish soap. “What we are about to watch is the catalytic decomposition of hydrogen peroxide,” she said. “But be careful! Don’t try this at home.” Colorful foam burst out of the flasks!

Minutes later, Camille Schrier was awarded the crown.

Earlier in the evening, Camille was asked, “How do you handle those who might make fun of Miss America?”

“I think that what I’m doing by being a woman of science and redefining what it means to be Miss America in 2020 is how I deal with those people,” Schrier said. “I’ve had people that don’t think that what I do is necessarily a talent. But you know what? Miss America is someone that needs to educate, be able to communicate with everyone, and that’s what I do as a woman of science. And we need to show that Miss America can be a scientist and that a scientist can be Miss America.”

As Miss America 2020, Camille Schrier will travel throughout the country the rest of this year to speak at events, elementary schools, and children’s hospitals. She'll be promoting Mind Your Meds, her social impact initiative that aims to promote drug safety and abuse prevention. She’ll discuss medication error with caregivers and parents.