WISCONSIN — Miss Wisconsin Grace Stanke, 20, earned Miss America's 95th crown Thursday night. 

What You Need To Know

  • Stanke is a senior studing nuclear engineering at the University of Wisconsin — Madison
  • She is also a violinist and played “Storm" from the Summer movement of Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons" on Thursday

  • Stanke is the third Miss Wisconsin to earn the Miss America title

The Wausea native is a University of Wisconsin — Madison senior, studying nuclear engineering. She stunned the judges with her love for engineering as well as her violin performance on Thursday, in which she played “Storm" from the Summer movement of Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons."

She is now the third woman from Wisconsin to don the title of Miss America, joining Laura Koeppeler (2012) and Terry Meeuwsen (1973), according to Miss America.

Stanke started in the Miss America Organization at 13 years old, according to Miss Wisconsin.

She competed for two years in the Miss Wisconsin’s Outstanding Teen Organization, earning the titles of Miss Wausau’s Outstanding Teen 2016, Miss Harbor Cities’ Outstanding Teen 2017 and then Miss Wisconsin’s Outstanding Teen 2017.

Since starting her education at UW, she has worked in two world class research labs and at the nation’s largest nuclear fleet. It inspired her to create the social impact initiative "Clean Energy, Cleaner Future" in an attempt to gear America toward zero-carbon energy, along with an emphasis on nuclear power. Her Miss Wisconsin profile said she was inspired after her work and education made her realize the energy crisis on a global scale and fossil fuels running on short supply.

She also won the titles of Miss Madison 2020/2021 and Miss Badgerland 2022.