Miss Ohio makes history as first Latina to win state title
UC biomedical science student will compete in Miss America
Spectrum News spoke to a University of Cincinnati student about winning the Miss Ohio pageant and competing next year in Miss America.
UC College of Arts and Sciences student Stephanie Finoti is studying biomedical science while working as a patient care assistant at Cincinnati Children's Hospital.
Finoti is the first Latina to win the Ohio pageant, which comes with a $10,000 college scholarship. The Miss America Foundation is the largest scholarship organization for women in the United States.
She will travel to Florida in January to compete in Miss America.
“I grew up in a low income community and telling my teachers I want to grow up and be a doctor and being told you know we don’t have the resources to help you do that,” Finoti told Spectrum News.
UC figured prominently in helping Finoti prepare for the pageant. She is a regular at UC's Campus Recreation Center. And she took dance classes at UC's College-Conservatory of Music to help her win the talent portion of the contest with her ballet performance.
In a UC biology lab, Finoti unboxed her Miss Ohio sash and crown to show to Spectrum News and a spray of confetti from the recent Ohio contest fell out.
“When things get really hard or I feel like I want to give up or I'm not enough, I can look back at this confetti and remember I did that. I am enough,” Finoti told Spectrum News.
Watch the Spectrum News report.
Featured image at top: UC biomedical science student Stephanie Finoti is the 2024 Miss Ohio. Photo/WMFD
Stephanie Finoti, left, talks to Spectrum News reporter Sheena Elzie about how UC is helping prepare her to compete in Miss America. Finoti said she took dance classes at UC and is a regular at the Campus Recreation Center. Photo/Michael Miller
Related Stories
Recent advances may speed time to endometriosis diagnosis
March 16, 2026
The average time to clinical diagnosis of endometriosis is nine years. Definitive diagnosis of the disease is difficult, and until recently, has relied on laparoscopic surgery. Now, as Medscape recently reported, novel clinical recommendations, advanced diagnostic tools and research into inflammation and immune responses, are bringing promise that women with endometriosis will find relief sooner and without surgery, according to experts, including Katie Burns, PhD, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine associate professor.
Position-specific helmets may not improve protection
March 16, 2026
Local 12 highlighted a new study by biomedical engineering researchers that looked at how well new football helmets protected players from impacts that can cause concussions.
UC biologist talks about 'pearmageddon'
March 16, 2026
WLWT talks to UC biologist and Department Head Theresa Culley about invasive, nonnative Callery pear trees that are spreading across Ohio forests after they were introduced by landscapers more than 50 years ago.