Miss America hopeful Sophia Parker wants everyone to have “a seat at the table” – regardless of their political affiliation.
Miss Vermont, a 27-year-old Army National Guard sergeant, will compete in the Miss America pageant on Sunday. She said her mission is to remind Americans that service and unity matter more than division.
“Unfortunately, we are living at a time of great division, and I’ve seen this grow even just in my lifetime,” Parker, a combat medic and nurse at the University of Vermont Medical Center, told Fox News Digital.
“Between the left and the right… there is a ton of division,” she shared. “However, one thing that I think is very important is for people of all different opinions from both sides and everyone in the middle to be able to come together and have the baseline be that we need to speak to each other with respect. We need to hear each other out.”
“I believe that the role of Miss America and Miss Vermont is to be that person who hears everyone’s perspective,” said Parker.
“I, as Sophia, of course, have my own personal opinions about things. But as Miss Vermont, I’m not here to have strong political opinions. I’m here to listen to everyone, and to try to create a middle ground where everyone can feel heard and seen. I think that is the starting point to find solutions. Our founding fathers created this country to be a place where you can have different opinions … where everyone can come together and find a place at the table, find a seat at the table.”
WATCH: MISS AMERICA HOPEFUL MISS VERMONT SEEKS TO BRIDGE POLITICAL DIVIDE
“As Miss America, as Miss Vermont, that is what I see as my job,” Parker added.
Parker said it was a teacher at her high school in Vermont who encouraged her to pursue pageants. It would be an outlet for her to connect with other everyday Americans.
“She recognized that if I was going to college, I would actually need some financial help and scholarships in order to do so,” said Parker. “… I had never thought about competing in a pageant before. I was… a tomboy.”
“I raised wild animals that needed help and ran around in the woods with my friends,” she chuckled. “But I ended up absolutely falling in love with the organization… It’s been such a privilege and such an honor to be able to speak about this organization that I love so much.”
Miss America, a glitzy competition, was born from a 1921 Atlantic City beauty contest just a year after women were given the right to vote, The Associated Press reported. Many participants say the organization – a large provider of scholarship assistance to young women – has been life-altering, opening doors for them both personally and professionally.
The organization, one of the nation’s most recognized brands, awards more than $5 million in cash scholarships annually, plus millions more at the national, state and local levels.
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Meeting other competitors from across the country and hearing their stories has given Parker a deeper appreciation for our country.
“I am extremely grateful to be an American every single day,” she said. “I wake up every single day with freedoms and privileges that people in any other country in the world do not have. One of the things that I am extremely grateful for is that I, as a woman, am able to be everything that I want to be. This is part of why I love being in the Vermont Army National Guard, why I love the Miss America Organization – I can stand here as someone who doesn’t really fit into a lot of boxes … I can wear a lot of different hats.”
“… We as women and as people can be passionate about any number of things,” said Parker. “I believe that as an American, you can be anything that you want to be. And I stand here as Miss Vermont, as a nurse, as a soldier, as a pageant girl, and I am so grateful for those [roles].”
The eagerness to serve runs in Parker’s veins. Her grandfather fought in World War II and was in the Battle of the Bulge. He went on to receive a Purple Heart. Growing up, Parker often listened to her grandfather’s stories from his time in the Army – “the good, the bad and everything that he lived through and saw.”
“One of the things that always stuck with me [was] how he was a part of something bigger than himself,” she explained.
“He had such a strong sense of comradery with the fellow soldiers that he served with. There’s nothing like it in the world, and I wanted to be part of something bigger than myself… I immediately knew that I wanted to be a medic if I was going to join. I talked to the recruiter in my town about what was involved. I took the ASVAB and ended up enlisting as a medic in the Vermont Army National Guard.”
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Between the Miss America Organization and the Army National Guard, Parker was able to graduate debt-free from Castleton University last May with a nursing degree.
One of the key causes Parker wants to highlight this weekend is wildlife rehabilitation. The Green Mountain State native and her mother co-founded Otter Creek Wildlife Rescue, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating injured and orphaned birds and mammals across Vermont.
Parker said she has vivid memories as a child bringing home wildlife, caring for them and releasing them back to their natural habitat when they were healthy. She’s currently involved with several local organizations that aim to create better wildlife policies.
“Currently, the state of Vermont allows things like leghold trapping and hunting with hounds,” she said. “We’re working to make these things illegal or at least much more regulated.”
“We would never strive to ban hunting,” she clarified. “Hunting is an age-old tradition in Vermont. It’s very possible to be an extremely ethical hunter. I know many ethical hunters who go out and kill a deer and use it to feed their whole family. It’s one of the most ethical ways you can get your meat. But Vermont, unfortunately, has a lot of archaic politics that allow a lot of abuse of wildlife. And so, I’m actively working with our legislature to change these policies.”
“… I think it’s very important to not only view the natural world from the perspective of a consumer, but as someone who shares this world with other animals.”
Today, Parker hopes her journey will encourage others to support a cause they’re passionate about.
“A life of service has changed my life,” she said. “It’s made me who I am today. It gives you a purpose in life. It gives you inspiration, and it’s grounding in a world where, frankly, the problems [are] overwhelming… You don’t have to have money. You don’t have to have some crazy talent. You just need to get involved in your community and make a difference.”
