In a new New Yorker article titled “Miss America Meets the Queen of Versailles,” New Yorker staff writer Dan Greene follows Miss America 2026, Cassie Donegan, as she supports her friend Kristin Chenoweth at The Queen of Versailles musical, which she attended in early October.
The article also includes reflections on Cassie’s life, gratitude, and the pursuit of her dreams.
“So often we pray and hope and dream for things,” she said. “Then you wake up and you realize that day that you’re in the middle of what you hoped and prayed and dreamed for.”
Cassie also opened up about her journey as a performer and her appreciation for the simple joys along the way:
“I distinctly remember being in my bedroom in middle school and thinking that being a working, professional actor was so far away,” she said. “The reality is, I can pay my bills just being an actor, and that’s not a reality for a lot of people.”
Read the full feature in The New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/
The article was also published in the print edition of the November 10, 2025 issue of The New Yorker, under the headline “There She Is.”
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About Miss America
Miss America is the nation’s premier empowerment platform for young women, with service to community at the core of its impact. Participants pursue personal and professional growth while inspiring others as positive role models. With its mission of Empowering Women to Lead, Miss America is also the largest provider of tuition scholarships for women in the United States, distributed through the Miss America’s Scholarship Foundation Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization.