HCR 235

R-287  Page 1 of 1
2026
No. R-287. House concurrent resolution congratulating Sophia Parker of Addison on
her selection as the 80th Miss Vermont.
                                        (H.C.R.235)
   Offered by Representatives North of Ferrisburgh and Birong of Vergennes
   Offered by Senators Heffernan and Hardy
   Whereas, over the course of eight decades, many outstanding young Vermont women
have been honored to serve as Miss Vermont, and this proud tradition has continued with
the selection of Sophia Parker of Addison as Miss Vermont 2025, and
  Whereas, her interest in participating in the Miss Vermont competition dates to 2015,
when she was crowned Miss Vermont’s Teen, and
   Whereas, Sophia Parker earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing at the now Vermont
State University-Castleton campus and is employed as a registered nurse on the staff of
BAYADA Home Health Care, and
  Whereas, she is applying her nursing skills as a medic, with the rank of sergeant, in the
Vermont Army National Guard, and
   Whereas, achieving the honor of serving as Miss Vermont remained a personal goal,
and, despite her busy schedule, Sophia Parker devoted the requisite effort to this
objective and was rewarded on May 4, 2025, when she was named the 80th Miss
Vermont, and
   Whereas, this honor included a $7,500 scholarship and a $5,000 grant to enroll in the
Ellis Strategies public speaking and presentation program, and
   Whereas, on September 7, 2025, Sophia Parker served as Vermont’s outstanding
representative at the 2025 Miss America competition in Orlando, Florida, and throughout
this past year she has been a dedicated ambassador of the Miss Vermont Scholarship
Organization, speaking to young women across the State concerning the scholarship and
community service opportunities available through the organization, and
   Whereas, Sophia Parker’s community service initiative is entitled “Wildlife
Rehabilitation and Stewardship of the Natural World,” and, with her mother, she
cofounded Otter Creek Wildlife Rescue, a nonprofit organization that rescues and
rehabilitates Vermont birds and mammals, and she is Vermont’s youngest licensed
wildlife rehabilitator, and
   Whereas, Sophia Parker has served with distinction as Miss Vermont 2025, now
therefore be it
   Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives:
   That the General Assembly congratulates Sophia Parker of Addison on her selection
as the 80th Miss Vermont, and be it further
  Resolved: That the Secretary of State be directed to send a copy of this resolution to
Sophia Parker and the Miss Vermont Scholarship Organization, Inc.
                                                                            VT LEG #388548 v.1