Camille Schrier, who recently graduated from Virginia Tech with a dual degree in biochemistry and systems biology, is your new Miss Virginia. The 24-year-old biochemist won the competition after wowing the crowd during the talent portion of the pageant by busting out an impressive science experiment that was unlike anything you would expect to see on the pageant circuit.
Camille’s experiment “demonstrated the catalytic decomposition of hydrogen peroxide.”
You can check out her impressive talents below.
“We are typically an organization that sees people that are fabulous dancers and really talented singers use that as their talent, and so for me to come out there and take a risk and do a science demonstration was very different,” she explained to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
“As someone who is breaking the boundaries and breaking stereotypes for what talent looks like at Miss America, I wanted to be a little out of the box, and it really worked out.”
With her win and unorthodox approach to the talent portion of the pageant, Camille hopes that she can inspire other young women who have nontraditional talents to continue pushing the limits and show that they also have a place in the pageant world.
“They can look to me and say OK, she’s a woman who is able to be successful in an organization like the Miss America organization, but she’s also a scientist,” Schrier said. “I truly am a woman of science — that’s my career. So [I want] to be able to break those barriers and to really inspire young women and men to follow this path if that’s something that they’re passionate about.”
During her reign as Miss Virginia, Camille plans to advocate for STEM education and drug safety and abuse prevention. She will also represent her state in the Miss America competition.
Camille is currently studying at Virginia Commonwealth University to earn her doctor of pharmacy degree.
