By Samantha Norwood, staff writer.
All photos courtesy Madison Leslie.

In just under two months, Madison Leslie's life changed drastically. She went from snatching groundballs in lacrosse games, to walking across the stage at graduation, to being crowned Miss Maine 2022. This 2022 Franklin Pierce alumna won her first beauty pageant at the age of 16, when she was simply looking for a place to sing. Now, she will be singing for the whole country at the Miss America 2023 pageant, to be held in December of 2022 at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn.

Since being crowned as Miss Maine Outstanding Teen back in 2016, Leslie has done a lot of growing. Most significantly, she got her degree in communications. "Franklin Pierce University really is like a second home to me. I love the community and found who I was as a person," she explains. "I was put into an environment where everyone is so encouraging of each other and being in that environment for four years really allows you to figure out who you are as a person and grow."

During her time as a Raven, she played four years as a defender on the lacrosse team. Leslie explains, "Being an athlete, I have learned a lot about time management, drive, and determination, which has translated directly to my career, personal life, and now my time as Miss Maine."

Beyond that, her time as an athlete at Pierce gave her some of her best friends, many of whom traveled from all over to be on-hand when she received her crown.

"I cannot even express in words how much it meant to me," Leslie explains. "Every time I stepped onto stage; I could hear them roaring. My heart was so overwhelmed and overjoyed." Her friends held up signs reading "She is Mads" and wrapped her in hugs as she claimed her new title. 

Her support group has grown since getting her title, and now includes her fellow titleholders from each of the 50 states, plus the District of Columbia. "I think that this organization gets a bad rep because of TV, shows like 'Toddlers & Tiaras'. People assume there is a negative connection between the women at competition but that could not be farther from the truth." Leslie has already gone to Dallas for Miss America Orientation, which was held in conjunction with this year's Miss America's Outstanding Teen scholarship pageant. There, she was able to connect with her Miss America competitors, though she sees them as more like her sisters. Leslie explained they are all in group chats with each other and keep in contact from across the country. Interestingly, Miss New Hampshire is also a Franklin Pierce alumna, Sarah White '20 of Hooksett, N.H., who earned her bachelor's in health science and is working towards her master's in nursing and leadership at the University.

While being crowned Miss America is a dream for Mads, she has a bigger goal in mind: making a social change. The Miss America pageant asks contestants to come up with a social initiative they will work on during their year of service. Leslie's is titled "Time to Shake your Beauty," but it extends beyond that for her. "It's more than just my social impact, I see it as my purpose in life," she explains, her smile growing as she speaks. "It's an empowerment movement to claim your confidence and own your space…we all bring something so special to this world and we need to own that."

She hopes to grow her campaign, reaching more people and doing what she can to make a difference. "I want to continue this authentic online presence, but also go to different schools and organizations and talk about this to build each other up." She knows that her title as Miss Maine is allowing her to reach more people and she could not be more grateful for the opportunity. After the Miss America pageant, she hopes to be an empowerment speaker, and make her brand her profession, in order to affect as many lives as possible.

Leslie has already made a huge impact on the world around her since being crowned Miss Maine in June. She worked with sponsors to donate backpacks to the Store Next Door Project in her hometown of Lewiston, Maine, which is the state's second-largest city. Store Next Door is run out of Lewiston High School and works to provide food, clothing, athletics gear and other amenities to the more than 300 homeless youths living in the city.

While she may have left Rindge and is moving on to new adventures, Leslie expresses how grateful she is for Franklin Pierce and those that helped get her to where she is. "[Humanities] Professor [Christina] Cliff has been so incredible. She has been helping me for the past interview prep for Miss Maine and now going to Miss America."

There is no doubt that, no matter where life takes her, and whether she is crowned Miss America 2023 or not, Franklin Pierce will always be a home to Leslie. It's where she found herself, and her people, who will be cheering her on from across the country.