Crowning Achievement: Auburn Student Wins Miss America Pageant

Abbie Stockard is a nursing student. A student recruiter. A member of the Tiger Paws dance team. A healthcare advocate. On Jan. 5, 2025 she added Miss America 2025 to her impressive list of titles. The fourth woman from Alabama to win the crown, the relatable senior gave an exclusive interview to Auburn Magazine.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Auburn Magazine: What was the moment like right before they called your name as Miss America 2025?

And we’re going back and forth and then they announced my name and then confetti falls and then everyone’s running up. I look and I know exactly where my family’s sitting. My mom’s bawling and crying. They were all genuinely so shocked as much as I was because I just never imagined the entire week that it was going to be me.

You won the Miss Alabama title the third year you entered that pageant. Correct?

They say sometimes third time’s a charm. That’s how it worked out for me. And I just never imagined that I would end up going all the way to the top and walking away with the new title of Miss America. But I have acquired over $89,000 in tuition scholarships from Miss America, which has been life-changing for me and my family. So I can confidently say that I get to go back to Auburn nursing and graduate debt free.

Where did you grow up and what was your childhood like?

I grew up in Vestavia Hills. I went to Vestavia Hills High School. Graduated in 2021. I have a twin brother who is also a student at Auburn in Auburn’s College of Nursing, which is really weird because we cannot be more different personalities. I have a little sister. She’s a freshman here at Auburn as well. I grew up in a house divided and for the longest time I thought I was going to go to Alabama because of my dad until I went on my tour of Auburn and I absolutely fell in love with the environment and the community. I decided to come here and I’ve never looked back.

What extracurricular activities did you do in high school?

I’ve been dancing my entire life. I started when I was two years old, and I just never stopped. I danced competitively at Birmingham Dance Theater for over 10 years and then I danced on my high school’s dance team and then I ended up trying out for Tiger Paws. My mom was a Tiger Paw at Auburn, and I always knew that was a big goal for me because dance is one of my biggest passions. My mom had this jacket that said “Tiger Paws” on the back and I hung it up in my room and when I was a little kid, anytime I didn’t want to go to dance or I just wanted to stay home, I would look at that jacket and I would say that’s the end goal. We’re going to get up and we’re going to go to dance because I am going to be a Tiger Paw one day. And then I was, the next three years at Auburn.

What does dancing mean to you?

Dancing has always been my escape. My parents got a divorce when I was nine years old. It was not your traditional divorce. It lasted for years, involved a custody battle, and I was in a very dark place when I was younger. And for me, dancing was always something that was very stable and consistent in my life. Anytime I just wanted to escape and forget everything, I would just go on the dance floor and I’d feel so much better. So, it’s just always been there for me, and I think that’s why it’s so much more than dancing. I have an emotional attachment to movement and performing.

You’re a national ambassador for cystic fibrosis. Tell us why you chose that.

My best friend, Maddie Hagler, is a student here at Auburn and she was born with cystic fibrosis. We were put in the same third grade class at the age of nine. We have been inseparable ever since. Growing up, I saw firsthand some of the devastating effects that this disease took on Maddie’s mental and physical health. And I made a promise to her as a little kid that I would do everything in my power to fight for her and to fight for others that have this disease.

Last year, I spearheaded my very own fundraiser. It was called the Hoover Roast, and it took over nine months of planning, but I was able to raise over $190,000 in one night for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. It already exceeded my expectations, but then I was told it was the largest fundraiser that has ever been put on in the state of Alabama for cystic fibrosis.

What is your favorite Auburn tradition?

Definitely Spirit March. I think it’s super sweet seeing the entire Auburn community coming together to support our football team going into Jordan-Hare before a big game. I was a member of the Tiger Paws Dance Team and so before I ever started competing and wearing a crown, that is when I truly felt like a princess. Because what’s so awesome about Spirit March is you have Auburn students coming out, but you also have Auburn families, parents, grandparents, and their kids and it’s just so sweet.

If you had to use one word to describe your role as Miss America, what would it be?

Oh, that’s tough. Probably a “light.” Because my entire motto in life is “choose joy,” and I hope you can see that. I’m a very positive and happy person and I’ve always seen my role as being a light to those around me. I think all of us are called to make a difference and I know that I’m here for a purpose, and so I get to use this opportunity to be a light to those around me. I think Miss America is all about how you make people feel, and so I want to use that light of mine to spread joy and kindness, and that’s why I want to be intentional.

What’s the weirdest question you’ve been asked so far as Miss America?

I’ve been asked probably once every appearance if I’m the actual Miss America. And I’m like, “Do you see the crown and sash?” I told someone that next time someone asks me that, I’m just going to say no. I’m just into cosplay. I am at this 24-hour Rolex race with motor sports and I’m asked if I’m Miss America. Why would anyone walk around like this at a race car track if they weren’t the actual Miss America? Which I just think is so funny.

Anything else you want to say to the Auburn Family?

By Todd Deery ’90