Marisa Paige Butler is all set to represent the USA in the upcoming Miss World 2018 as Miss World America 2018. She is a 24-year-old Standish Maine native currently living in San Diego California where she works as an Investment Executive Assistant at Sprott Global. Marisa graduated cum laude from Stonehill College in Easton Massachusetts with a degree in Economics and a minor in Business.

During her time at Stonehill, she was a member of their Division II Soccer and Lacrosse teams, as well as the Stonehill Cheering Squad. In the spring semester of her junior year, Marisa studied abroad at Kings College in London. While abroad, Marisa walked in a London Fashion Week event, hiked to the top of Mt. Vesuvius at Pompeii, and travelled to eight European countries.

Aside from her academic and athletic success, Marisa is also a classically trained vocalist, model, and a conservationist. Her most noteworthy conservation effort was during her time as a volunteer for NOAA’s Corporative Shark Tagging Program. She now helps restore wildlife habitats in San Diego for the endangered California Least Terns. She is of French, English, Scottish, Irish and Native American (Mic Mac) heritage.

As she prepares for her delegacy, she finds time to talk about her dreams, goals, advocacy and guilty pleasures in an exclusive interview with Angelopedia.

Q. How does it feel to be Miss World America 2018 and now a delegate of Miss World 2018?

Becoming Miss World America 2018 is the culmination of seven years of hard work and dedication to my pageant journey, and twenty-four years on this journey we call life. As someone who has multiple and, some would say, conflicting, interests (an academic, a jock, a conservationist, a classical singer, and a woman in a STEM career path just to name a few) I found myself belonging to many different social circles, but not quite fitting into any of them. Pageants gave me a place where I finally felt like I fit in, a place where my many interests were applauded instead of stifled, a place to belong and grow. To be able to represent my country, my pageant family, and myself at a national and international level is the greatest honour of my life so far. I also deeply value travel, knowledge and understanding of other cultures. The opportunity that I will have to interact with likeminded young women from across the world in a country I have never been to is an unparalleled opportunity to enrich my worldviews and exposure to other cultures and is the aspect of this competition that I am looking forward to the most.

Q. What inspired you to the world of pageantry?

My senior portrait photographer, Tess Johnson, was at the time the photographer for the Miss Maine Teen USA pageant and suggested I give pageants a try. Growing up I was always a bit more of a tomboy – I enjoyed playing sports, being outdoors, and building things with my father. I never really wore makeup or dresses, so I didn’t think pageants were for me. Despite that, I decided to go to the orientation out of curiosity. It was there I saw the current titleholders, Alexis and Ashley. I was so impressed by how eloquent, well put together, classy and intelligent both the titleholders were and decided that I wanted to be that person for some other young girl someday. I wanted to experience the same growth they did during their year of service. I went on to compete in the teen pageant that year, placing the first runner-up. It was the best decision of my life because it was through pageants that I found my voice, my truest friends, and the woman I am today.

Q. How would you like to represent yourself at the international stage of Miss World 2018?

My goal as Miss World America is to show young women across the world that you do not have to confine yourself to the box someone assigns to you. To me, Miss World America represents a woman who is not held back by limitations, stereotypes or labels. She is the type of woman who can speak eloquently on current events, who values education and charity, who can stand firm in her convictions and in her high heels. She is a woman who is not ashamed of her femininity and embraces her girly side, while simultaneously shattering glass ceilings. She is proof to women everywhere that you can be both the princess and the knight in shining armour, the scholar and the artist, business-minded and compassionate. She is someone who refuses to be defined by a stereotype. Instead, she redefines what it means to be a woman, simply by being herself unapologetically. That is the type of woman I aim to be in every aspect of my life, from being a three-sport athlete, a woman in a STEM career path, an opera singer, a conservationist, a model, and a beauty queen. I have not let one area of my life define me, nor place limitations on the other areas of my life simply because they normally “do not go together.” Instead, I follow my heart. I do the things that I love and that brings me joy, and I hope to spread this message of being unapologetically you too young women not only across my country but across the world. As long as I am able to convey this message I feel as if I will have been successful at representing myself and my country at Miss World.

Q. Could you tell us a little about your advocacy as a Miss World delegate (Beauty with a Purpose)?

My Beauty with a Purpose is “Igniting the Volunteer Spirit” which focuses on fostering a concept of ownership and responsibility to your local community. I have noticed one of the negative effects of social media on my generation is a sense of detachment and lack of empathy for other people and our community. I am afraid as we move forward with our digital world, we will forget and/or neglect our real tangible world. I am hoping to combat that by creating a more social approach to community service that will encourage others to get to know their community, its needs, and prioritize time to give back. I am a strong believer that the grass is greener where you water it, and it is everyone’s responsibility to help in that effort to make all of our communities around the world the best that they can be. Every Saturday through my #ServiceSaturday project I try to set aside my morning to volunteer with various service projects around San Diego. Most of these have been environmental in nature, as San Diego is not only one of the most biologically rich counties in the continental US, but it is also one of the most threatened as it is home to approximately 200 imperilled plants and animals – more than any other county in the nation. This was a fact I had not known before I began my volunteer work in San Diego, but after learning that I became very motivated to continue with these types of service projects. This is an excellent example of how even one small exposure to volunteering can lead to education on the needs of your community and foster a desire to give back and stay involved. I now encourage all of my friends and the girls that I mentor to come with me to at least one #ServiceSaturday event. This has started a chain reaction where my friend group has created a community centered on giving back to our community, and have even begun to invite their friends along too. Incorporating this social aspect has helped make volunteering seem more like a fun social outing, which gets people to give it a try in the first place. Once they have volunteered and see how they can make a real difference, most decide to volunteer more frequently, and even on their own. I hope to expand this concept to other areas of the United States during my year as Miss World America, and hopefully to the world, if I am given the honour of the title of Miss World.

Q. Who is your role model, if any and what values of his or her do you wish you could inculcate in your own life, and teach the next generation?

“I want to be a Renaissance woman. I want to paint, and I want to write, and I want to act, and I want to just do everything.” – Emma Watson

Emma Watson is one of my biggest role models. I believe that Emma perfectly exemplifies what it means to be a modern day renaissance woman. I first became a fan of her character Hermione from Harry Potter, as I too was once the know-it-all with my nose in a book and my hand in the air with an answer on the tip of my tongue. While some may have called me a nerd, I like to affectionately refer to myself as a scholar instead. She gave me the first female role model I had whose intellect was her first defining characteristic, not her appearance, not her romantic relationships, but her inquisitive mind. Emma perhaps played this role so well due to her own intellect, as she maintained excellent grades while simultaneously filming Harry Potter, and eventually attended and graduated from Brown University. She not only is a scholar but an athlete as well, having played field hockey her whole life. In her adult life, she is an outspoken women’s rights and feminism activist, launching the UN Women’s Campaign called HeForShe to support gender equality. She maintains a professional image both in the news and on social media, which is not normally the case for child stars. She can be stunning and classy on one hand and silly and fun-loving on the other. The thing that continuously brings me back to Emma as a role model, and what I hope she is able to teach the next generation, is that it is ok to be passionate about and to pursue multiple dreams at once.

Q. What is the one thing that keeps you going and inspires you to be the best version of yourself?

"Just because something works, doesn't mean it can't be improved." I strongly believe the purpose of life is to seek out continual progress in who you are, your relationships, your abilities, and how you give back to others. Being in a constant state of growth is the only way to truly unlock your full potential. I am on a constant journey to realize mine.

Q. Would you like to share your most special childhood memory with us?

I have a vivid memory of sitting up in my bathroom sink, looking into the mirror when I was a young child. I was looking at myself trying to imagine who I would be when I was “all grown up.” I remember this young girl dreaming up all these big dreams and truly believing in her ability to accomplish them all. Ever since I have been working hard every single day not to disappoint the little girl in the mirror and to never let her dreams die.

Q. If you could be invisible for a day, how would you like to spend it?

I have always felt extremely connected to nature, having grown up with a wildlife preserve as a backyard. I would love to spend my days watching animals go about their day without the disturbance of my presence. Listening to their songs, and breathing in fresh air.

Q. What or who empowers you to be yourself and work hard every day?

I am extremely fortunate to have a supportive family. My mother and father have always taught me to believe in myself, and have lifted me up even when I may be experiencing doubt. I also am fortunate enough to have surrounded myself with amazing and empowered women, my friends, most of whom I have met through pageants. I lean on them for support, I look up to them in their success, and they encourage me in the pursuit of mine.

Q. What is the one thing you can label as your guilty pleasure?

An ice-cold Diet Pepsi – despite knowing how bad diet sodas and soda, in general, is for me, I drank it so much as a kid that it has a nostalgia factor. I try to limit it now, but it is definitely my “I’m celebrating” drink of choice as I do not drink alcohol.

Q. We’re sure that this competition is another milestone in your life. What is that one thing that you ultimately want to achieve?

When I decided to study abroad at King’s College in London I remember my father tearing up as he dropped me off at the airport. When I assured him that I would be back in only a few short months, he responded by saying “But you will be a different person when you return, and as excited I am to meet her, I am having a hard time saying goodbye to the little girl I know.” My father is a man who has travel a lot in his life and knows that exposing yourself to other cultures allows you the most room to grow and change as a person. My time in London, as he predicted, was arguably the most transformative time in my life. As someone who values knowledge and personal growth, a major goal in my life is to explore as many of the world's cultures that I can. I am so excited for the opportunity to continue doing so by travelling to China and getting to know the other contestants from all over the world. I strongly believe there is so much to learn from other cultures, and that the process of doing so deepens your empathy, understanding and acceptance of others.

Q. If you are granted three wishes right now, what would you ask for?

My biggest wish is for people to be compassionate towards one another. I think if we lived in a world where compassion was the most important thing for each individual, we would have no need for a second or third wish.

Q. Lastly, is there any message that you would like to give to your fans of Angelopedia?

I just want to say thank you for taking the time to get to know me a little more. And thank you for supporting young woman such as myself from across the world each year.