The state pageant is a preliminary round to Miss America. This is Leigh's first title. She is an elite figure skater and for the talent portion of the competition, she performed "Don't Rain on My Parade" from the Broadway musical "Funny Girl."
This busy Greenwich 17-year-old trains early in the morning on the ice rink before school. She will skate for Connecticut in the State Games of America to be held in Lincoln, Neb., in July.
She is also preparing for a concert at Carnegie Weill Recital Hall in early June.
But academics takes precedence, and Leigh will graduate in June with nine Advanced Placement classes to her credit. The College Board has named her an AP Scholar.
At Sacred Heart, she competed in congressional debate as a member of the speech and debate team.
Leigh said she feels honored to be representing Hockanum Valley as the first winner of this newly created title. She won the title on on March 7.
Although the Hockanum River is two hours north of Greenwich, she hopes to make a difference in both Hockanum Valley, as well as in her hometown of Greenwich for the Miss America Organization.
Her platform reaches out to the young girls in Harlem, N.Y., where she works with the nonprofit, Figure Skating in Harlem. Not only does she donate her time weekly as an assistant skating coach, but also she works with the girls to encourage their educational advancement.
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