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Miss New York 2022 Taryn Delanie Smith participated in the 95th edition of the Miss America pageant, Miss America 2023.
She advanced to the final round with four other women, Miss Texas, Miss Georgia, Miss Wisconsin (winner), and Miss West Virginia. She smoothly transitioned through several categories, including Job Interview, Social Impact Pitch, and Red Carpet Wear, and earned the first runner-up title for the pageant.
Taryn Smith studied Communication Arts and French Language at Saint John's University. She is a Cum Laude Graduate in Bachelors of Science (Communication and Media Studies) and Summa Cum Laude Graduate in Masters of Science (International and Intercultural Communication). She has also been the recipient of a Certificate of Academic Excellence at St. John's University.
More about Miss New York 2022 Taryn Delanie Smith
Taryn Delaine Smith began her career in 2015 by joining the Miss America organization as the ambassador and representative of the City of Seattle. She used the platform to advocate for women and children experiencing homelessness in Washington State. She represented the organization at several events around the Seattle area.
Miss New York 2022 toured several schools across Washington state where she spoke about leadership. As per her LinkedIn page, Taryn spoke widely about "leadership and encouraging open and respectful dialog about diversity and race-issues."
Taryn's other initiatives included book drives and creating S.O.S Supporting Our Shelters initiative that advocates for donations to local shelters. From 2015 to 2018, the contestant worked as a store manager and stylist (sales) at a bridal boutique in Seattle, Washington, before relocating to New York.
The Miss America 2023 finalist also worked as a diplomacy intern for three months in 2019 where she represented the organization at weekly diplomatic, cultural, and ceremonial functions. She also conducted several research projects associated with Latin America, Canada, and the United States.
She rejoined the Miss America organization after she was crowned Miss New York 2022 at the Paramount Theatre Peekskill on 29th May 2022 in New York. After being crowned the title, she took to her social media page to express her feelings. Taryn said:
“I can’t believe I get to write this post today. I am so honored to be your Miss New York 2022, and compete at Miss America, representing this beautiful and iconic State. Thank you to every single person who has stuck with me and stood by me over the many years of tirelessly pursuing this crazy dream.”
She continued:
"To all of you reading this: Never give up. Please. Whatever dream fuels you, whatever purpose calls you. Please just pursue it with an unyielding sort of joy. Because it is that journey, the one with many turns and obstacles and moments of grief and uncertainty- it is that journey that makes us who we are. New York. Let’s do this. I can’t wait to serve you."
On her official Miss America 2023 page, Taryn described her career ambition to write and host a weekly segment on Good Morning America. She also wishes to establish and run a non-profit aligned with her social initiative, and to support women experiencing homelessness.
The finalist also confessed to working for six years within different communities to promote volunteerism, donations and the support of local shelters and the variety of programs they provide. She further stated:
"This, paired with continued advocacy for compassionate legislation, as well as increased federal funding for rental assistance, and homelessness grants are necessary actions to change the way we address housing insecurity in America."
Taryn also stated that the best advice she'd ever received was from her mother at a time when she was severely bullied because of her looks. She said:
"I was intensely bullied growing up. I used to tell my mother how much I wished I were “beautiful.” I’ll never forget, she’d say, “You are beautiful. But it’s important you recognize that it’s the single most uninteresting, thing about you.” Society seeks to condition girls to believe being pretty is a priority, it’s not. Be smart, be strong, be kind. Be you."
The Miss America 2023 runner-up has over a whopping 50K followers on Instagram where she regularly posts updates on her academic, professional and personal journey for fans to witness. The official Miss New York Page also consistently documents her activities as part of the organization.
