What was Miss West Virginia Elizabeth Lynch’s answer to question about climate change in Miss America 2023?

Miss West Virginia Elizabeth Lynch participated in the 95th edition of the Miss America pageant, Miss America 2023.

She advanced to the final round along with four other women where they were asked questions about causes that they are passionate about. Lynch made her way through several categories including Job Interview, Social Impact Pitch, Red Carpet Wear and others.

For her Q&A session, Elizabeth was asked as to why Americans should be more concerned about climate change and agriculture. The Miss America 2023 contestant's response was:

"We should be more concerned about climate change, agriculture. Because our agricultural industry is what provides the food, the fuel and the fire necessary for you to sustain your daily lives. We need to take climate change seriously becuse it does impact our agricultural industry every single day. Thank you."

Elizabeth Lynch is a native of Martinsburg, West Virginia and represented the Mountain State while advocating for her lifelong passion for agriculture. She is a summa cum laude graduate of Delaware State University and a recent graduate of West Virginia University (WVU) with a Master of Science in Food and Nutrition Science.

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More about Miss America 2023 contestant Elizabeth Lynch

Upon completion of her year of service as Miss West Virginia, Elizabeth will begin her PhD with a pure focus towards animal science. For her talent portion on Miss America 2023, she presented a motivational monolog on a Social Impact Initiative, ”Growing Up, Growing Ag: Advocating for Appalachian Agriculture," which is extremely close to her heart.

As per the official website of the pageant, the social initiative "seeks to promote agricultural literacy and raise awareness about the benefits of farming and agriculture, especially in the Appalachian region."

The Miss America 2023 finalist said:

"My purpose is to ensure those around me fully understand where we get our food. Agriculture is the backbone of our great nation. As Miss West Virginia, I will continue sharing the importance of agriculture and encourage everyone to thank a farmer."

While studying at Delaware University, she also pursued other interests, including being a D1 equestrian athlete, and a Presidential Scholar. She was also a Chi Alpha Sigma National Athletic Honors Society member.

Throughout her career, the Miss America 2023 contestant has been the recipient of multiple awards. These include Evelyn Talbott Memorial Award for Outstanding Community Service, Dr. Donald J Horvath Memorial Scholarship Award at WVU for her passion towards a career in agriculture and academics.

She was also given the “Circle of Hearts” Miana Steward Memorial Award for her generous contribution to the non-profit, Horses With Hearts.

Speaking to Metro News about her participation in the pageant, Elizabeth detailed on choosing agriculture as her social initiative and said:

“I’ve been a huge proponent of agriculture since I was very young, and that support will never change. Creating a social impact initiative around American and Appalachian agriculture was super easy for me to do. Everyone has been very excited about the fact that I’m supporting and talking about a group of people that never really get to be in the spotlight.”

Miss West Virginia has worked with Poultry Specialists "to facilitate and conduct research and with the WVU Pilot Feed Mill for feed manufacturing." She has also conducted several agricultural workshops across the state as a research assistant at the university. Elizabeth is also a member of the American Agri-Women and West Virginia Farm Bureau.

The Miss America 2023 finalist is also the host of a weekly broadcast called Farmer Friday. With over 3K viewers, the broadcast features experts from the agriculture industry. She is also the recipient of the Presidential Scholarship and Dr. Donald J. Horvath Memorial Scholarship.

As per the official pageant page, Elizabeth spoke about the best advice she'd ever received, and said:

"A very close friend and mentor reminds me constantly that I should “doubt my doubts but never doubt my faith”. I shouldn’t doubt the faith I have in myself and my capabilities as I have put in the time and effort to get to where I am today."

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Elizabeth has close to 7K followers on Instagram where she posts regular updates about her academic and personal life, as well has recently posted pictures from her Miss America 2023 pageant. With over 1K posts, she gives her fans a glimpse into her life, up close and personal.