Miss Atlantic County- Gabrielle Allen

First day of fieldwork ✅
This pic was taken SO early my eyes weren’t even open yet! I was so excited to start my Level II Occupational Therapy fieldwork today at a subacute rehabilitation facility! I am excited to work here for the next 12 weeks and help people add meaning back to their lives after an injury!
My journey to becoming an occupational therapist would not have been possible without the scholarships I’ve earned through the Miss America Organization!

Miss New Jersey orientation is ONE day away!! I’m so excited to present my official Miss New Jersey headshot!
A special thanks to the Official Photographer of Miss New Jersey, Richard Kraus, for making me feel so beautiful and empowered during my photoshoot.
I’m BEYOND excited to reunite with my sisters tomorrow at orientation and the gala! 💖
Miss New Jersey Education Foundation

One of the points of the crown is Scholarship! Today I presented my Community Based Learning Project at the Celebration of Scholars! My project was titled— A Winning Combination: University of Scranton Occupational Therapy Students and Neighborworks of NEPA.
We partnered with Neighborworks to install Home Safety kits in older adults homes around our area. We also conducted a home safety assessment and added low-tech and low-cost modifications.

Loving this Barbie trend! The Miss America Opportunity is actually very similar to Barbie— Barbie can be anything and so can Miss America! She can be an Occupational Therapist, Nuclear Engineer, Teacher, Artist, News Anchor, ANYTHING she wants to be! Thanks to the MAO I’m able to peruse my education to become an occupational therapist and will be earning my bachelors degree in May!

One of the points of the crown is sisterhood. Well— let me tell you about my INCREDIBLE sister queen! This past weekend my sister helped me orchestrate a surprise trip to Florida AND she planned a wonderful day for us in Disney springs! They say the Miss America Opportunity brings you to your best friends and this couldn’t be more true about Sam. I am so grateful to have been crowned with her and to be able to call myself her friend. Thank you to MAO for bringing me some of my best and most treasured friends! Love you Sam!!

Would you like to support my journey to Miss NJ without purchasing a full advertisement? Send in a well wish and I’ll include you in my friends and family ad! Ad sales will determine the order we pick our numbers in, so every ad counts! Any amount is appreciated! Just venmo me @ gallen816 💜

Did you know that the Miss New Jersey Competition historically was held on the Ocean City Music Pier? It was so nostalgic returning to the Miss NJ Organization’s roots for a local competition this past weekend!

When I was younger, I was mentored in the Little Sister Program as well as the princess mentoring program where I held the title Tiny Miss Coastal Shore! Throughout my life the Miss America Organization has provided me with so many role models and opportunities for friendships and growth. I am so blessed to have grown up in this organization.

Here are a few throwback pictures from when Miss NJ was on the pier (yes that’s little me posing under the same sign!) 💕👑

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Last week I spent some time with the Peer Health Educator team spreading awareness about the signs of alcohol poisoning and how to practice safe drinking if someone chooses to drink on St. Paddy’s Day! We were also able to collaborate with the University Police Department and hand out fun St. Paddy’s Day gifts! 💚🍀

It’s National dress day! Here are a few of the dresses I wore last year on the Miss New Jersey stage! ❤️

Yesterday I represented the Occupational Therapy Department at a luncheon for the Panuska College of Professional Studies! I was able to talk about my experience as a student at The University of Scranton and talk to perspective students and parents about the college experience! I love being able to represent my department and tell perspective students how much I love my school! 💜

Last night my Student Occupational Therapy Association hosted a Valentine’s Day themed dance for The Arc! The Arc is an organization that provides resources and services to community members with disabilities and as President of SOTA I am so glad to have them as a community partner! I love seeing how happy everyone is to have a night to have fun and celebrate Valentine’s Day! 💕💕
**to protect the identities of the attendees, no faces or visible personal identifiers are shown**
Miss New Jersey Scholarship Organization

“I have decided to stick with love, hate is too great a burden to bear” -Martin Luther King Jr.
This beautiful mural that is right outside of my apartment at school and every day I am reminded of the sacrifices that Martin Luther King Jr. made in order to achieve equality. Today celebrates his hard work and sacrifice, but also serves as a reminder that we are NOT finished! We all need to take steps forward for equality— especially if we are coming from a place of privilege. One day we CAN live in a world where all people are equal, but today reminds us that we need to use our voices to fight for equality!

I had so much fun attending the grand reopening of Lucy The Elephant in Margate! It was so amazing to see how many people gathered to celebrate the Jersey shore icon (and now officially a historic landmark), Lucy The Elephant! 🐘❤️

I had so much fun performing for the children and families at the Ronald McDonald house of South Jersey with my sister queens! I loved spreading some holiday cheer!

We talk about sisterhood— but what about cousins?? I was so blessed to have my cousin Elyssa in from Indiana for the holidays this year. Elyssa is a titleholder in the Miss Indiana organization, so when I had the opportunity to perform at the Ronald McDonald House, I knew I had to bring her with me! It was so much fun to be able to finally do a Miss NJ x Miss IN collab! ❤️

Calling all small businesses! Miss New Jersey week is right around the corner and we are selling ad spots for our competition program! If you or someone you know would like to purchase an ad and support my journey to Miss New Jersey, please reach out!

Buying an ad will directly benefit my spot on the Miss New Jersey stage because the contenstants who sell the most ads are able to pick their competitoon number first!

Thank you all so much for your constant support!!

Yesterday was the ribbon cutting ceremony and grand opening of the Special Events for Special Kids office space! I’m so happy for SE4SK to finally have a space to call home, this is such an incredible organization that serves children with disabilities in South Jersey. I was able to meet with some Gloucester county freeholders as well as unveil my birthday wall mural!
For more information about SE4SK visit SE4SK "special events for special kids" A NJ Nonprofit

, challenge accepted. As a woman who is a part of the one of the nation’s largest scholarship programs for women, I am proud to be a Miss America Canidate and future Occupational Therapist! My plan to make an impact on the years is to spread my message of Inclusion and Awareness through my social impact initiative, Don’t Diss The Ability! Teaching children how to be friends with their differently abled peers is just the first step to creating a more inclusive world— and I’m so excited to have our new Miss America promoting the

Today we are celebrating the women everywhere taking things to the next level. Here’s to the !
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Check out Miss Coastal Shore- Gabrielle Allen working on a Birthday mural at the se4sk office!!!

Sometimes OT school is researching and writing a 40 page paper, other times it’s arts and crafts! Today I made the cutest sensory pizza for a child in a special needs classroom! We were tasked with finding a child in need of occupational therapy intervention, and then making a project to help them, so this is mine! While this looks like just a fun craft, there are so many different theories and models that I used to create this, but you’d never know. That’s why I love OT— Finding creative solutions for creative problems! Who wants a bite of my sensory pizza?! 🍕👩🏻‍🔬