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Talent: Ballet en pointe
Social Impact: Experiential education and the power of play Greater Minnesota is the final competition for the season and awards Granite City, Great Lakes and Heartland titles. Director: Jodi Swaja recruiting@missminnesota.org |
Miss Granite City 2020 Samantha Bretz is passionate about the power of play. One of her favorite work experiences was co-developing and teaching a summer program on movement and storytelling for Summer Creating Landscapes in Meadville, PA. She has brought creativity and a collaborative spirit to her volunteer work as a Playologist at the Minnesota Children’s Museum and children’s music programs in across the country. She hopes to make play-based educational experiences accessible to all Minnesotans.
A graduate of Allegheny College in Pennsylvania, her career brought her to Minnesota as a financial analyst for Boston Scientific in 2018. She graduated magna cum laude with her B.A. in economics, and was elected to the selective Phi Beta Kappa honor society and received honors for her undergraduate research on the intersection of minimum wage policy and poverty. Samantha is a performer in many mediums: her award-winning talent presentation is a classical ballet en pointe performance to “Amour” from Don Quixote by Ludwig Minkus. She has worked as a director/choreographer at The Croswell Opera House in Adrian, MI, and served as President and choreographer for the Orchesis Dance Company at Allegheny College. She loves to sing, and toured New Zealand with the Allegheny College Chamber Choir. In 2019 Samantha earned a spot on the Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders team, and has brought SKOL spirit to thousands of fans during the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 seasons. She earned the Most Improved Overall Performer award for her rookie season. Samantha loves the community of the Miss America Organization and the good fortune of meeting like-minded women who participate. Serving as a titleholder is an opportunity to inspire others to challenge social norms, and to continue to make the world a better place by addressing inequalities and serving others. |
