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West Virginia native Elizabeth Lynch has had quite a brilliant run in the Miss America 2023 final, finishing as the third runner-up in the prestigious competition. While the world is celebrating Grace Stanke's spectacular win in the competition, it is noteworthy how many brilliant contestants were there in this year's Miss America.
Lynch, a native of Martinsburg, West Virginia, was arguably one of the finest on this list. A summa cum laude graduate of Delaware State University and a recent graduate of West Virginia University with a Master of Science in Food and Nutritional Science, Lynch's great educational background is only matched by her drive to make a change. She led a Social Impact Initiative to promote agricultural awareness, titled "Growing Up, Growing Ag: Advocating for Appalachian Agriculture."
Elizabeth Lynch's passion for agricultural wellness prompts her to make a social impact around the Appalachian region
Elizabeth Lynch represented the mountain state of West Virginia in this year's Miss America. A woman of many talents, she has followed her lifelong passion for advocating for agricultural awareness and wellness. She specializes in advocating for the Appalachian region, which can serve as a hotbed for the agricultural boom with proper awareness and education.
Despite her brilliant educational qualifications, she has also been a D1 equestrian athlete, Presidential Scholar, and a Chi Alpha Sigma National Athletic Honors Society member. Her efforts were even recognized with an Evelyn Talbott Memorial Award for Outstanding Community Service.
Lynch is also the recipient of the “Circle of Hearts” Miana Steward Memorial Award for her contribution to Horses with Hearts and the Dr. Donald J Horvath Memorial Scholarship Award at WVU for her dedication to pursuing a career in academia and agriculture research. Speaking about her passion for agriculture, she 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."
While Lynch may not have won the competition, she has certainly won a lot of hearts in the process of becoming the third runner-up in Miss America.
Apart from her beauty pageant journey, Elizabeth Lynch has worked with Poultry Specialists to facilitate and conduct research. She has also worked with the WVU Pilot Feed Mill for feed manufacturing and is also known to conduct agricultural workshops.
Moreover, with her studies and efforts at conservation and education, Lynch may have a great impact on the world. Besides, recent years have seen a boom in the more socially aware side of beauty pageants, opening better scopes for participants, attendees, and viewers of the competitions.
Elizabeth Lynch also reportedly received several scholarships in her journey to compete for the Miss America title. According to her page in Miss America 2023, she reviewed scholarships for Academic Excellence, STEM, overall private interviews, and overall social impact pitch/on-stage questions.
Miss America 2023 took place at the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut.
