Within her role as Miss New Mexico, New Mexico State University student Lianna Hartshorn strives to empower children and women and is now preparing to expand that goal nationwide.
Hartshorn grew up in Las Cruces and entered pageants when she was 14 years old. She joined the Miss America organization and competed in the Miss Teen New Mexico competition. After winning Miss Las Cruces, she decided to compete statewide and was crowned Miss New Mexico in June. She is now preparing for the Miss America competition in January and will be one of the youngest competitors.
“My goal for Miss America is to make history and become the first woman from the Land of Enchantment to win the Miss America title,” she said.
Hartshorn is the first Jewish Miss New Mexico and said her motivation stems from her parents, faith, love for children and education. Her parents own the Freedom Church in Las Cruces, where she helps in the nursery and Sunday school. Her parents are both NMSU graduates, where she is now studying biology and chemistry with a plan to become a pediatric surgeon, inspired by her mother who is a nurse.
“I was inspired by my parents growing up because they do so much for their community and they always put people first,” she said. “I also wanted to represent my people as well as shed light on past antisemitism that I have had to face with the struggle of being Jewish and facing that unfortunate ridicule.”
Hartshorn is also a Conroy Honors Scholar at NMSU’s William Conroy Honors College, where she is training to work in a faculty biomedical research lab for her honors capstone project.
“Lianna Hartshorn has already begun working on all of the things we say an NMSU academic all-star student should be doing,” NMSU Honors College Dean Phame Camarena said. “Her service project for the Miss America preparations is focused on children’s literacy because she knows that New Mexico lags in educational prep and sees this as a concrete action she can focus on as she travels the state in her role as Miss New Mexico.”
Hartshorn aims to improve New Mexico’s education because she believes in preparing future generations. Her goals are displayed through her How to Start a Healthy Heart Initiative and The Miss Initiative. The How to Start a Healthy Heart Initiative works to inform children and teens on the importance of heart health.
“I see children with such purity and innocence, and I want to protect that,” she said. “I want to help New Mexico’s education and instill that importance of education within the students so that way we are able to see an improvement within our schools and placement nationwide. I want to see New Mexico students succeed and show them the love of God.”
The Miss Initiative incorporates her goal of empowering women and young girls to become more involved in their community and the Miss America organizations.
“I want to give hope to women regardless of their culture, ethnicity or religion, that they are able to be successful in organizations like the Miss New Mexico or Miss America organization,” Hartshorn said.
While having a busy schedule with pageant competitions, countless hours of community service and school, Hartshorn makes it a priority to find a balance. She said making sure she has good physical and mental health and staying connected with her family and friends is vital.
“I would not be able to do it all without my family and friends that support me,” she said. “I am passionate about the work I am doing even in the times that I get stressed; I understand that this is bigger than me, this is an impact for all people. I am not representing a perfect person; I am representing a resilient woman who stays busy because she is passionate about the work that she can do within her community.”
For more information on the Miss America organization, visit https://www.missamerica.org/.
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NMSU photo by Josh Bachman