miss virginia

Dancing, singing, baton-twirling—when it comes to the talent portion of beauty pageants, we generally know what to expect.

But Camille Schrierturned that standard on its head when she performed an explosive science experiment for her talent in the Miss Virginia 2019 competition. The 24-year-old biochemist demonstrated and explained the catalytic decomposition of hydrogen peroxide, a chemical reaction that happens when a catalyst (potassium iodide in this case) comes into contact with hydrogen peroxide. Schrier mixed the chemicals in three large flasks on a table, making colored foam spout high into the air and land in goopy piles on the stage.

How Miss Virginia Won Her Crown Thanks to Sciencewww.youtube.com

"Keep an eye out," she told the cheering audience at the end of her demonstration, "because science really is all around us."

The judges were clearly impressed with Schrier's talent as well as the rest of her pageant performance, as they ultimately awarded her the Miss Virginia 2019 crown.

Schrier, a graduate of Virginia Teach currently studying to be a Doctor of Pharmacy at Virginia Commonwealth University, told the audience and judges that she's loved science since she was a little girl. That passion has fueled her goals both as a student and as a pageant contestant.

"I am more than Miss Virginia," Schrier said in a release. "I am Miss Biochemist, Miss Systems Biologist, Miss Future PharmD looking toward a pharmaceutical industry career. Now was the time for me to create a mind shift about the concept of talent by bringing my passion for STEM to the stage. To me, talent is not a passion alone, but also a skill which is perfected over years of learning."

In an interview with Inside Edition, Schrier said that she'd be taking her science talents to the Miss America stage. "It might be a little bit different," she said, "but it will definitely be a chemistry demonstration."

According to CNN, Schrier's platform issue for the competition was opioid abuse awareness and drug safety. She will compete in the Miss America pageant in September.

Here's to more women challenging expectations and creating new standards for talent and beauty.