- April 19, 2024
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Music matters to Sara Zeng, who started her role as Miss Florida on July 1. Over the summer, Zeng lived in Palm Coast and completed her student teaching internship at Pine Trail Elementary in Ormond Beach. Now, she’s getting ready to head to Miss America.
Locals and visitors gathered at Flagler Playhouse on Saturday, Aug. 19 for a meet and greet to celebrate Zeng’s sendoff to Miss America.
The 22-year-old graduated from FSU in May with a bachelor’s in music education and has been playing the piano since she was 5 years old. To show her talent to those at the meet and greet, she performed a 90-second rendition of Chopin’s “Fantasie Impromptu,” which she will be playing for the talent portion of the Miss America Competition.
Zeng said she wants to use her personal platform, Music Matters, to inspire youth to utilize music in their lives.
“Music Matters is all about getting kids excited about music and keeping music in the classroom,” she said. “It’s so important for their development and just their overall success at school.”
Zeng started competing in pageants at age 7, and her mother, Jennifer Stockett, was the second runner up for Miss New Jersey when she was around Zeng’s age.
“(Pageants) just kept growing and growing until it was something I realized I could do for scholarship money to help pay for school and help establish myself as a musician,” Zeng said. “So, it’s been amazing.”
For winning Miss Florida, Zeng earned a $20,000 scholarship to obtain her master’s, which she hopes will be in music education or music therapy.
Ultimately, she said the most rewarding part of being involved in pageants is meeting new people and being a role model. She is hoping for the best for Miss America so that she can make an impact on a wider scale.
“Teaching will always be there for me, but this way I have the chance to go into so many schools, not just have my own (classroom),” she said.
Zeng will be heading to the Miss America pageant in Atlantic City on Aug. 29. The final day, and crowing, of the pageant will be Sept. 10 and will be on ABC from 9-11 p.m.
