Find Out the First Miss America Winner from Your State

Massachusetts has produced one Miss America winner, Erika Harold, crowned in 2003. Born in Urbana, Illinois, Harold competed as Miss Massachusetts after pursuing higher education at Harvard. Her pageant platform focused on combating bullying, a cause close to her heart due to her own childhood experiences.

Her crown elevated her into a career that blended law, advocacy, and public service. Harold later became an attorney and political candidate, proving that her ambitions stretched well beyond the stage. Her win marked a high point in Massachusetts’s long pageant history.