July 27, 2025 11:30a
(WGTD)---Miss America hopeful Willow Newell of Racine is a veteran pageant contestant and stage performer who comes across as driven to take on the next challenge.
As Miss Racine, Newell won the Miss Wisconsin competition earlier this year and is now getting ready to travel to Orlando, Florida to compete in the national pageant in the first week of September.
Newell spoke recently on WGTD on both Community Matters and on The Morning Show with Greg Berg.
Newell’s resume includes a music theater degree from this past May from Carthage College. She also served as Miss Kenosha in 2023.
Newell carries the distinction of being the first African-American to win the Miss Wisconsin pageant. She said her race was one motivating factor in her decision to attempt to return to the state pageant by entering the Miss Racine competition last year. "It can be a little bit discouraging sometimes going into a space and seeing no one looking like you especially when you're a teenager and you're trying to figure out who you are...," she said. "But it really challenged me and it gave me that motivation to keep coming back because I knew I wanted to represent young girls who look like me and maybe felt they weren't confident in themselves."
Willow said that winning the Miss Wisconsin title last month was nearly an out-of-body experience. "I was just so honored getting into the top two. I'm holding hands with Miss Madison--I just felt that I wasn't really there. I had envisioned this moment my entire life. I can't describe how it feels really. I'm just so grateful every morning that I wake up," she said.
Since winning the title, Newell has been traveling the state making numerous appearances while she gets ready for Orlando.
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