Samantha Russo, Miss New Hampshire and Emerson Alumnae, Will Compete For Miss America Title

Image via @SamanthaRusso01 / Twitter

Samantha Russo, a very recent graduate of Emerson College, is making big moves in the world of beauty pageants. The 2012 grad and Nashua, New Hamp., native was crowned Miss New Hampshire earlier this year, and will be competing in this year’s Miss America pageant next month. She hopes to be the first Miss New Hampshire to win the Miss America title.

Russo studied broadcast journalism at Emerson and is currently working in marketing for the Fisher Cats baseball team out of Manchester. She’s also an advocate for tobacco education and prevention.

I feel like I just got my first celeb follow-back @TobaccoFreeKids!! Proud to be supporting Tobacco Ed.&Prevention during my year as #MISSNH

— Samantha Russo (@SamanthaRusso01) June 21, 2013

Miss America is also giving contestants an alternative way to get right to the top. Each contestant has an online video posted on Miss America’s website, and the video with the most votes will automatically be placed in the top 15 contestants on the night of the pageant. Russo’s video is a play on the movie 42, based on baseball legend Jackie Robinson.

For Russo, however, Miss America is not all just big hair and sparkly gowns. She’s dedicated to the pageant’s mission. “The Miss America organization provides more scholarship money to young women than any other organization in the entire world,” Russo told Dan O’Brien at Emerson College. “It really values the everyday woman, the girl next door, and intelligence.”

Russo hopes to go to graduate school and continue her career in sports marketing.