Jamie Lynn Macchia (born October 24, 1991) is an American

beauty pageant A beauty pageant is a competition in which the contestants are judged and ranked based on various physical and mental attributes. Per its name, beauty pageants traditionally focus on judging the contestants' physical attractiveness, sometimes sol ...

titleholder from

Eltingville, Staten Island Eltingville is a neighborhood in the Staten Island borough of New York City, United States. It is located on Staten Island's South Shore, Staten Island, South Shore, immediately to the south of Great Kills, Staten Island, Great Kills and north ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, who was crowned

Miss New York The Miss New York scholarship competition selects the representative for the state of New York in the Miss America scholarship competition. In the fall of 2018, the Miss America Organization terminated the Miss New York organization's license ...

2015. She competed for the Miss America 2016 title in September 2015.

Pageant career

Miss Staten Island

Macchia began vying for the Miss Staten Island crown when she was 17 and a student at

Staten Island Technical High School Staten Island Technical High School, commonly called Staten Island Tech, SITHS, or Tech by Staten Islanders, was founded in 1988. Located in Staten Island, New York City, the State school, public Specialized high schools in New York City, spec ...

. In November 2008, she was second runner-up for the Miss Staten Island 2009 title. In November 2009, she placed first runner-up to Jennifer Scacco for the Miss Staten Island 2010 title and won a $2,000 scholarship. On November 12, 2011, Macchia won the Miss Staten Island 2012 title and received $3,000 in scholarship money. She later returned in November 2013 and won the Miss Staten Island 2014 title, becoming the first nd onlywoman in the pageant's history to win the title twice.

Vying for Miss New York

As Miss Staten Island 2012, Macchia then competed in the 2012 Miss New York pageant in June 2012. Macchia was top-11 semi-finalist. On March 30, 2013, Macchia won the Miss Greater New York 2013 title then, in July 2013, competed in the 2013 Miss New York pageant. She was not a finalist for the state title. In November 2013, Macchia won the Miss Staten Island 2014 title, the first woman to win the title a second time. In May 2014, she competed in the 2014 Miss New York pageant. She was named was second runner-up to winner

Kira Kazantsev Kira Dixon (née Kazantsev; born July 20, 1991) is an American beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss America 2015 on September 14, 2014. She is the third consecutive Miss America winner from New York and had won the title of Miss New York on ...

. When Kazantsev was elevated to Miss America 2015, both first runner-up Desiree Wiley and second runner-up Macchia declined the promotion to serve as Miss New York 2014 to preserve their chance to win the state title in 2015 and compete for Miss America 2016. Instead, third runner-up Jillian Tapper accepted the promotion and the crown. Macchia later accepted an invitation to participate in the

National Sweetheart Miss National Sweetheart is a United States beauty pageant created in 1941 where runners-up from the Miss America state pageants are invited to Hoopeston, Illinois to compete for the title of Miss National Sweetheart, and the name of the title held ...

2014 pageant at the Sweet Corn Festival in Hoopeston, Illinois. She placed first runner-up for the national title.

Miss New York 2015

Macchia was crowned Miss Greater New York 2015 which made her eligible to compete for the 2015 Miss New York title. Entering the state pageant in June 2015, Macchia's competition talent was dancing to " I Was Here" by

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...

. Her platform is "Inspiring Action Against Pediatric Cancer". Macchia chose this work in honor of a childhood friend who fought but ultimately died from

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia; pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and produce high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or '' ...

. Macchia won the competition on Saturday, June 6, 2015, when she received her crown from outgoing Miss New York titleholder Jillian Tapper. She earned more than $25,000 in scholarship money from the state pageant. She also won the Children's Miracle Network Miracle Maker Award and the Miss America Organization Academic Award. As Miss New York, her activities include public appearances across the state. Macchia was New York's representative at the Miss America 2016 pageant in

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city (New Jersey), city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of ...

, in September 2015.

Early life and education

Macchia is a native of

, and a 2009 graduate of

. Her father is Anthony Macchia and her mother is Dawn Macchia. She has a younger brother, A.J. Macchia is a 2013 magna cum laude graduate of

Wagner College Wagner College is a private university in Staten Island, New York. It was established in 1883 and, as of the 2023–2024 academic year, it enrolled approximately 1,932 students, including 1,592 undergraduates and 340 graduates. Its theatre prog ...

, earning a bachelor of science degree in arts administration and marketing. While a student at Wagner College, Macchia became a member of the

Alpha Omicron Pi Alpha Omicron Pi (, AOII, Alpha O) is an international sorority founded on January 2, 1897, at Barnard College on the campus of Columbia University in Manhattan, New York City. The main archive URL iThe Baird's Manual Online Archive homepage "AO ...

international women's fraternity.

References

External links

Jamie Lynn Macchia official websiteMiss New York official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Macchia, Jamie Lynn Living people 1991 births American beauty pageant winners Miss America 2016 delegates Miss New York winners People from Eltingville, Staten Island People from Staten Island Wagner College alumni