UC student crowned Miss Ohio: 'I feel like I've been floating'
Stephanie Finoti will compete this winter in Miss America Scholarship Pageant
A biomedical science student at the University of Cincinnati was crowned Miss Ohio on Saturday and will compete this winter in the Miss America Scholarship Pageant, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Stephanie Finoti, an undergraduate in UC's College of Arts and Sciences, will receive a $10,000 scholarship among other prizes for winning the competition.
Finoti won both the talent and health and fitness awards in preliminary competition. She performed a dance from the ballet Don Quixote.
UC student Stephanie Finoti talks to WMFD about winning the Miss Ohio Scholarship Pageant. Photo/WMFD
She plans to graduate from UC in December with a bachelor's degree in biomedical science. Her community service platform called “That STEM Girl” also has a science angle as she promotes mentorship as a way to build diversity in medicine.
After graduation, Finoti plans to attend medical school with plans to pursue pediatric medicine.
“This whole week has been a dream. I feel like I've been floating all week,” she told the Enquirer.
Her victory was her second bid for the Miss Ohio crown. Previously, she finished as a top-10 semifinalist.
Miss Ohio typically has speaking engagements across the state. Finoti said she hopes to use her new platform to introduce Ohio girls to science, technology, engineering and math.
“I hope to recruit more marginalized young women by going out into the community, telling my stories, connecting with individuals and making these close-knit relationships within my community,” she said. “And then, once I do that, I plan to give them the resources that they need to come into the program to succeed within this program and in their professional lives.”
Read the Cincinnati Enquirer story.
Featured image at top: UC student Stephanie Finoti will compete this winter in the Miss America Scholarship Pageant. Photo/WMFD
More Miss Ohio news
- Mansfield News Journal: Columbus woman crowned new Miss Ohio
- WMFD.com: Stephanie Finoti crowned Miss Ohio 2024
- Columbus Dispatch: 2024 Miss Ohio finals
- Richland Source: Columbus native Stephanie Finoti crowned Miss Ohio
- Massillon Independent: Miss Shawnee Stephanie Finoti is the new Miss Ohio
Related Stories
A&S students experience virtual reality films tied to conservation, sustainability
November 9, 2026
A new world was unlocked this week for creative conservation students in the College of Arts & Sciences. Associate professor Teri Jacobs teaches the class and says she was looking for a way to marry technology and education in an unusual way. Over the summer, she was awarded funding to make her vision a reality, thanks to the A&S Hub for Immersive Environments.
Volunteers work with UC to reforest parts of downtown
November 9, 2026
More than 70 volunteers helped reforest a patch of ground next to a highway with help from University of Cincinnati co-op students. The urban reforestation project is modeled after a demonstration project students planted at UC's Center for Field Studies.
UC Exercise Science alum found a path in tactical strength training
November 9, 2026
UC CECH graduate of the School of Human Services' Exercise Science program Isiah Bostic shares the story of how he found his way into tactical strength training with the U.S. Army.