Mallory Hagan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mallory Hagan
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Mallory Hytes Hagan
December 23, 1988 Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
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| Education | Auburn University Fashion Institute of Technology (BA) |
| Occupation | Business consultant |
| Known for | Miss America 2013 Candidate for Congress |
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) |
| Title | Miss Brooklyn 2010 Miss Manhattan 2011 Miss New York City 2012 Miss New York 2012 Miss America 2013 |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Kevin Stramara (m. 2024) |
Mallory Hytes Hagan Stramara (born December 23, 1988) is an American who was once a news anchor and a beauty queen. She became Miss America in 2013 after winning the Miss New York title in 2012. Later, she ran for a seat in the Alabama House of Representatives in 2022, but she did not win.
Mallory moved to New York in 2008 after her first year of college. She had been a runner-up for Miss New York twice before winning the title in 2012. Her win at Miss America in 2013 was based on her goal to raise awareness about child abuse. After her time as Miss America, she earned a degree in communications. She then returned to Alabama in 2016 and worked as a news anchor and reporter until 2018.
She also ran for Congress in 2018 as a Democrat. This was for Alabama's 3rd congressional district, which includes her hometown. After moving to Madison, Alabama, she ran for a state representative position in 2022.
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Early Life and Education
Mallory Hagan was born in Memphis, Tennessee, and grew up in Opelika, Alabama. She finished high school in Opelika in 2007. Her parents grew up in Auburn, Alabama. Her mother ran a dance studio, and her grandmother also had a dance studio in Tennessee. These experiences influenced her a lot.
She attended Auburn University for a year, studying biomedical science. She was also part of the Pi Beta Phi sorority. She is one of four Pi Beta Phi members to become Miss America.
Moving to New York
In October 2008, Mallory moved to Brooklyn, New York. When she arrived, she had very little money and no job. She lived in several different neighborhoods in Brooklyn before winning Miss America in 2013. These included Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn, Sunset Park, and Williamsburg.
While competing for Miss America in 2013, she was a student at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT). She studied advertising, marketing, and communications. Her dream was to work in cosmetic and fragrance marketing. She was part of the Presidential Honors Program at FIT. She trained hard, both physically and mentally, to get ready for the pageant.
Pageantry Journey
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Starting in Alabama and Becoming Miss New York
From ages 13 to 17, Mallory competed in the Miss Alabama's Outstanding Teen pageant. She once finished as a runner-up. In 2008, she entered the Miss Alabama competition. She won an award for her talent and a scholarship while studying at Auburn University. Later that year, she moved to New York.
In New York, Mallory first competed in the Miss Brooklyn 2010 pageant. She wanted to win scholarship money for her education. To her surprise, she won! After that, she won titles like Miss Manhattan 2011 and Miss New York City 2012. She also finished as first runner-up twice in the Miss New York pageant. Finally, in 2012, she won the Miss New York title. This allowed her to compete in the Miss America pageant in her last year of eligibility, at age 24. She received a $10,000 scholarship for her win. As Miss New York 2012, her main goal was to raise awareness and prevent child abuse.
Her pageant biography said she wanted to honor the women in her family who had been affected by abuse. She shared their stories to encourage others to speak up. Her mother, Mandy Moore, encouraged her to focus on this issue. Mallory has said that she has seen the effects of child abuse in her own family.
Winning Miss America 2013
Mallory Hagan won the Miss America 2013 title on January 12, 2013, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Her opening line to the audience was, "Sandy may have swept away our shores but never our spirit." She wore a black bikini and a white evening gown. She was crowned by the previous Miss America, Laura Kaeppeler. Mallory beat Miss South Carolina 2012, Ali Rogers, who was the first runner-up. Along with the title, Mallory also received a $50,000 scholarship.
Mallory was the fourth Miss New York to become Miss America. She was also the second person from New York City and the first from Brooklyn to hold the title. Her time as Miss America was shorter than usual, ending on September 15, 2013. This was because the pageant moved back to Atlantic City, New Jersey.
As Miss America, Mallory traveled about 20,000 miles each month. She worked with groups like the National Children's Alliance. She helped ask for money to support Child Advocacy Centers across America. She was very proud of this work. She also worked with other organizations that help children. She spoke about gun control, saying she was against fighting violence with more violence. Some people criticized her for gaining weight during her reign. This led her to become a supporter of body positivity.
Changes at the Miss America Organization
In December 2017, it was revealed that the pageant's CEO, Sam Haskell, had sent emails that were disrespectful to former Miss Americas, including Mallory. These emails made fun of Mallory's body weight. Mallory spoke out and demanded that Haskell and other board members resign. She said, "I am the storm," meaning she would not let the issue be ignored. She also started a T-shirt line to support the new Miss America Organization.
In January 2018, Mallory created an online petition. She and other former Miss Americas asked for Haskell's resignation. The Miss America Organization later named Gretchen Carlson, a former news journalist and Miss America, as the new leader. Other former Miss Americas also joined the board, bringing new leadership to the organization.
Career and Public Service
When Mallory first moved to New York, she worked for a few years. Then, she used her scholarship money to enroll at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT). She earned a degree in Advertising, Marketing, and Communications. After being Miss America, she became more interested in communication and television. She changed her major to communications. After graduating, she moved to Los Angeles to work in television. She later returned to New York City. There, she started a business called "Define: Mind. Mission. Marketing." with Claire Buffie, who was Miss New York 2010. They worked as marketing consultants.
Working in News
In August 2016, Mallory was hired as a reporter for WLTZ-TV. This TV station is based in Columbus, Georgia. She reported from her home area in East Alabama and the Columbus area. In April 2017, she was promoted to news anchor for the station's evening news show. She worked in this role until February 2018. At that time, she announced she would run for Congress and moved back to her hometown of Opelika.
Running for Office
Mallory Hagan ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018. She ran as a Democrat for Alabama's 3rd congressional district. People in her community had asked her to run. She received support from various groups and raised a lot of money for her campaign. However, she was defeated by the current representative, Mike Rogers. Even though she didn't win, Mallory said that running for office was "the thing [she was] the single most proud of." She had once said in 2013 that she could not imagine going into politics.
After the Election
After the 2018 election, Mallory worked on marketing and social media for the Miss America organization. She also worked as a communications director for Michael Bloomberg's presidential campaign in Alabama in 2020. In 2020, she moved to Madison, Alabama. She became a communications manager for the Business Outreach Center Network. In this role, she helped small business owners, especially those from underserved communities like immigrants and women.
Mallory Hagan ran for a seat in the Alabama House of Representatives in 2022. She ran against the sitting House Speaker, Mac McCutcheon, in District 25.
