Donning Lab Coat And Heels, Camille Schrier Won The Miss Virginia Crown With Colorful Experiment
John Herzog/Miss Virginia
Biochemist Camille Schrier made a splash with her science experiment during the Miss Virginia competition.
As part of her talent showcase at the 2019 Miss Virginia beauty pageant, 24-year-old Camille Schrier decided to do something unexpected.
The biochemist-slash-beauty queen put on her lab coat and goggles, and performed a colorful science experiment right there on stage. The inspiring stunt was a gamble that eventually snagged her the crown.
Amid the usual talent performances like singing and dancing, Schrier’s scientific demonstration at Liberty University was no doubt a breath of fresh air, albeit an unusual choice for the competition.
Nevertheless, Schrier, who holds dual degrees in biochemistry and systems biology from Virginia Tech, wanted to do something that reflected her true passion.
“I truly am a woman of science — that’s my career,” Schrier said in a press statement. “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.”
Schrier went on to win both the talent portion of the competition (which awarded her the preliminary talent award and a $1,000 scholarship) and the contest’s coveted Miss Virginia crown.
Schrier’s hefty winnings from the pageant added up to $21,000, which she said will contribute greatly to cover tuition costs in her current pursuit of a graduate degree in pharmacy.
“[Women and little girls] 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.
In an era where women are demanding equality, having a famous figure demonstrate smarts at an event that has historically painted women as mere objects can only lead to good things in the future.
