Despite jitters at previous competitions, Abbie Stockard said that she felt perfect peace throughout the 2025 Miss America pageant. “There’s the saying about having an unexplainable sense of peace, and that’s how I felt the night of Miss America,” she said. “I didn’t feel shaken in any way, and I was so at ease with everything.” And when she won the title, becoming the first Miss Alabama to wear the national crown since 2005, Stockard said she knew God had led her exactly where she was meant to be. “I knew the pageant was all in the Lord’s hands,” she said, “and whatever happened was meant to be. And now I feel like winning and being in this role has helped me grow much deeper in my faith.” Now– as she enjoys her year as Miss America– she’s dedicating her reign to making her city, state, and college proud, being an example to young women everywhere, and spreading the news about cystic fibrosis and other health issues. Through everything, she’s relying on faith along that journey.
Stockard grew up in Vestavia Hills, AL where her family still lives, and attended Vestavia Hills High School. She is currently a senior at Auburn University and will receive her bachelor’s degree in nursing after taking a year off for her Miss America obligations. She earned the Miss America title on January 5 at the nationally televised pageant in Orlando, Fla., becoming just the fourth Alabamian to win the crown. The win came after a relatively short time on the pageant circuit. Stockard grew up watching the Miss America pageant with her mother but says she always saw the contestants as “overly gifted and super talented” and never imagined that she herself would compete. After learning about the scholarship money that could be won through the Miss America program, however, Stockard entered a local preliminary competition when she was an Auburn freshman. “I signed up the week before, completely on a whim,” she said. “Obviously, I didn’t win the first one but then I signed up for another preliminary the following weekend in Birmingham and ended up winning.” She subsequently went on to compete for the Miss Alabama title over the next three years- competing and winning in 2024 as Miss Hoover. That win catapulted her to the Miss America pageant, where she shined in her appearances on stage and during her contemporary dance to Christian singer Lauren Daigle’s “You Say” in the talent competition. The Miss America win resulted in more than $89,000 in tuition scholarship money- something Stockard said is “life-changing for me and my family.” Upon her return to the state, Stockard said that she felt an amazing welcome from both her hometown and Auburn University. She’s on the university’s Tiger Paws dance team and has a huge love for the school. Her twin brother Bradley is a senior there, and her younger sister Lily is an Auburn freshman. “I’ve really felt an outpouring of love and support from people all across the state of Alabama, and Auburn has been amazing. They rolled out the red carpet for me,” she said. “I kicked off my homecoming weekend in Auburn and the dance team let me perform at a basketball game with them. I even got to wear my sash while performing.” The weekend also included favorite Auburn student activities, such as a ceremony at the Samford clock tower, receptions, and sorority gatherings. “It will probably be one of my favorite memories from the whole year because I was taken aback by how they made me feel so special and celebrated,” she said, adding that her hometown of Vestavia Hills has also rallied around her.
(BOLD TO PERIOD) Work as Miss America. Stockard will be in the public eye for the remainder of 2025, serving as the Miss America representative and promoting the issues she wants to bring more attention to during the year. With her philanthropic platform, “Be the Change: Find a Cure–Cystic Fibrosis Awareness,” she’s striving to bring more understanding and focus to a disease that is near and dear to her heart. “My best friend Maddie has cystic fibrosis, and we met when we were in the third grade. We’ve been BFFs ever since,” she said. “I made a promise to her when I was a little girl that I’d do everything in my power to fight for her and for others in the same situation. As soon as I started competing in pageants, I knew that I would pick Cystic Fibrosis awareness as my platform.” Cystic fibrosis is a genetic condition characterized by thick mucus buildup in the lungs and other organs, leading to severe respiratory problems, and there’s currently no cure. Despite it being a rare disease with about 40,000 people suffering from it in the United States, Stockard said that she meets people connected to the disease everywhere she goes. “In almost every city I’ve visited, I’ve had people come up to me saying they have CF or their brother or best friend passed away from it. Most of the time they’ll be crying and will say how much it means to them that I’m raising awareness,” she said. “Those moments fuel me…. They remind me of how important my work can be. It can be more than looking pretty and wearing a crown.” She’ll serve as an ambassador for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation throughout the year, where she’ll be implemented into much of their national advocacy initiatives. She’ll also work with the American Heart Association as a Go Red ambassador after earning the Go Red for Women Leadership Award at the Miss America pageant and serve on the Promise Fund for breast and cervical cancer screenings. In addition to philanthropic work, she’ll make appearances as needed at hospitals, on talk shows, at schools, and even at fun events.
(BOLD TO PERIOD) Leading with Faith. Stockard admits that the Miss America schedule can be overwhelming and that the pageant experience itself can be stressful. She found, though, that faith can give her strength in all situations. Raised in a Christian home, she and her family attended Vestavia Hills Methodist Church in her youth and now attend the Church of the Highlands. She said that faith and prayer have always been an integral part of her journey, both in pageants and elsewhere. “I can put a lot of pressure on myself and when I’m competing I want to make other people proud. But I have to surrender the entire situation to the Lord and trust in the plan and purpose He has for my life,” she said. “In those moments in Miss America when I was anxious and expectant of what was going to happen, I’d step away, put my earbuds in, listen to worship music, and pray. It helped me be calm and helped me re-center.” The decision to perform in the talent competition to Lauren Daigle’s song (which she did for three years in the Miss Alabama pageants) came from an experience with her grandmother, who passed away several years ago. Stockard said that her grandmother loved the song “You Say” and always encouraged her from the lyrics. “She’d say ‘Now Abbie, any time you feel unworthy or doubtful or insecure, remember that you are strong and you are loved and you belong. Your identity is in the King.’ And so, it’s my way of honoring her, but also sharing that truth,” she said. She wants to remind people to stick to that core understanding of God’s love for them, and to stay true to who they are. “I know that she would have gone crazy that her granddaughter was named Miss America,” Stockard said, adding, “I know she was cheering from the heavens when I was on the Miss America stage.” As she continues her reign as Miss America and then returns to Auburn to complete her nursing degree, she will cling to that faith that’s brought her thus far– and encourage others to lie into their potential. “I want to use this as my chance to shine the Lord’s light, and to help people feel seen and feel worthy,” she said. “That’s the mindset I try to have in every appearance and everything I do so that I can really make sure I’m making the most of every opportunity.”
Cheryl Wray
