Miss America 2023, Grace Stanke is a real-life ‘Barbenheimer.’ Here’s why

Grace Stanke, the newly crowned Miss America 2023, is not your typical NYC diva. She is also a nuclear engineering student from the University of Wisconsin who loves science and math.

The 20-year-old is, in a way, a real-life version of “Barbenheimer.”

In an interview with Christina Macfarlane for CNN, Stanke said she was inspired by both Barbie and Oppenheimer, who represent different aspects of her personality and interests.

“Yes, I can be Miss America and a nuclear engineer. I can be the woman who can. An that’s something I am so excited about with the movies.”

“I think Barbie is such an amazing role model for young girls. She shows that you can be anything you want to be. You can be a doctor, you can be a lawyer, you can be an astronaut, you can be Miss America,” she added.

“And Oppenheimer, he’s one of the most brilliant minds of the 20th century. He was the father of the atomic bomb. He was also very conflicted about his role in history. He had a lot of moral dilemmas. And I think that’s something that I can relate to as a nuclear engineer.”

Stanke said she chose to study nuclear engineering because she wanted to make a positive impact on the world through “clean energy” and nuclear medicine.

“I think there’s still a lot of stigma around women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). There’s still a lot of bias and discrimination. And I think that’s something that we need to change,” she shared.

Miss America 2023 added that she hopes to use her platform as Miss America to inspire more girls and women to pursue their passions in STEM and other fields.

“I want to show them that they can do anything they want to do. They can be beautiful and smart and talented and successful. They don’t have to choose between being feminine or being intelligent. They can be both,” she said.

Stanke also said she was excited to watch the movies “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer”, which are both slated to hit theaters this year.

“Barbie” is a live-action comedy starring Margot Robbie as a doll who leaves Barbieland and embarks on an adventure in the real world. “Oppenheimer” is a biographical drama starring Cillian Murphy as the scientist who led the Manhattan Project during World War II.

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“I think they’re both going to be amazing movies. I think they’re both going to show different sides of these characters that we don’t usually see. And I think they’re both going to challenge our perceptions of what it means to be a woman or a man in society,” she said.

The Wisconsin goer expressed, “I think I’m a little bit of both. I’m a little bit of Barbie and I’m a little bit of Oppenheimer. And I think that’s OK. I think that’s what makes me unique and special. And I think that’s what makes everyone unique and special.”