JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 23-year-old Jacksonville health care visionary will represent Florida in the Miss America pageant in September.
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Paris Richardson said she wants to be the CEO of a hospital someday and hopes that winning the Miss America pageant will help her achieve that goal.
The Ribault High School and University of Florida alum won the Miss Florida title on June 28. She’s tried to win the crown before, but she talked about what made this run for it different.
“I went in feeling a different kind of calmness that I felt these past two years,” Richardson said. “I think I felt prepared, I felt ready. I watched the former Miss Florida, those who came before me. I saw what they did to prepare for Miss Florida, and I saw that they really worked hard 365 days. And that’s something that I really embodied this past year. and I think that’s part of the reason why I was able to walk away with the crown.”
Richardson was a guest on the Discover the Joy: The Purdy Podcast back in April when she had just graduated from UF with her Master’s Degree in Health Administration.
She’s had two months to prepare for the Miss America Contest. She said she’s looking forward to sharing her platform on healthy living and health equity as she someday hopes to become the CEO of a hospital.
Richardson said she didn’t want to see people in her hospital.
“I don’t want people in the beds of my future hospital, I want to ensure that I’m in my community. I’m being proactive,” she said. “I’m helping people in my community get preventative care services that they may need. So I’m not seeing you in the ER, and we’re having a backlog, and we don’t have enough physicians to take care of our patients. I want to ensure that I’m meeting people where they’re at and giving them the services they need before they even know that they need them.”
This is her third time vying for the title. She said she’s been taking steps to improve her winning edge, like taking public speaking courses and acrobatics classes.
“I knew I needed to work on my talent, I was able to walk away with one stage question and talent awards. I’m so elated to see that I saw my efforts pay off on stage,” Richardson said.
She will compete in the Miss America pageant in September in Orlando.