Beyond the Sash: Allison Redman ‘23 Leads and Inspires on and off the Stage
July 8, 2024
Beauty pageants are most known for beautiful women with charming smiles presenting their talents while wearing their best gowns and hoping to win over the judges for a title. But beneath the glitter and the carefully prepared interview responses are women with intense passion to help others, impact the world, and use their platforms to make a difference. Allison Redman, MS in Human Resource Development ‘23 is one of these remarkable women. As the reigning Miss Florida for America Strong, she is making a positive difference across her state through her platform, the Victoria’s Voice Foundation, which focuses on advocating for drug prevention in the community, and The Treble Is Keeping the Music Alive, where she hopes to inspire youth to develop lifelong hobbies in the arts. Not only has she had great successes in pageants and the professional world, but Redman also received her MS in Human Resource Development from Drexel’s School of Education and recently applied to the EdD in Educational Leadership and Management program.
When she first graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the music program at Towson University, Redman was unsure of where her path would lead her next. Apart from her deep passion for music, she says, “I knew I wanted to be involved in my community, because when I was younger, I did a lot of volunteering with horses, and I played music.” She attended Harford County Community College to pursue a math degree, where she was inspired by her teacher to enter the pageant system. She says, “A mentor once told me to surround myself with women who I wanted to be like… I decided to sign up… I found out it was way more than just a beauty pageant.” Redman began her pageant career in Maryland and was named Miss Maryland in 2020. “I was surrounded by women who were extremely smart, who were starting their own nonprofits volunteering in the community. And I knew that's exactly what I wanted to do,” she said.
After entering the pageant system Redman eventually got a job working for the government at Aberdeen Proving Ground as an intern in the Human Resources department, “I love helping people with their personal goals or professional goals, so I knew human resources was the spot for me,” she said. Shortly after starting her new job, she realized “I didn't really have a lot of knowledge about helping others or policies, or anything related to professional services.” She says, “I didn't really like being the person in the office that didn't know a lot or had to go to someone or had to do a lot of research… I knew it would be good for me if I went back to college and get a degree in human resources.” This decision, coupled with her need to be an online student due to her busy schedule, is what led her to apply to Drexel.
Redman claims her time at Drexel helped her improve her human resource knowledge and more. Her time in the MS program was virtual, and she praises the way the online environment helped her. “I think it really gave me that prep that I needed before I completely went remote at work… connecting with people, not being afraid to call people, not being afraid to send my professor emails, because that's the kind of environment that we were in,” she said. Not only did the online environment help her professionally, but it aided in preparation for when her experience running for Miss Maryland in 2020 was altered by the Covid-19 pandemic. Also, Redman is applying the knowledge she gained in her courses in her career. She says, “All of the knowledge that I was learning at school, I was able to directly use at my organization.”
Sal Falletta, PhD, is one professor Redman had during her time in the MS program who made her love her time at Drexel. She says, “He encouraged me to even apply for the doctorate program at Drexel, which I have done recently, and I will say he was always there to answer my questions whenever I needed them, or even speak to me about programs I created at my own job.”
As an government worker, pageant winner, and student, there are a lot of aspects of Redman’s life that she can apply in other areas. Something she learned from her time at Drexel that she brings into the pageant process is “being able to create better working relationships, online”, and “don’t procrastinate.” Speaking on her recent application to Drexel’s EdD program, Redman says something she wants to focus on is the world of AI. “That's something that I will be focusing on, because I think that may be the future… I want to get a head start on learning about that and be able to take that knowledge and bring that back to the job that I'm working now.”
Allison Redman is a dedicated, passionate, and inspiring woman on the pageant stage, in the classroom, and at work. Throughout her career she has learned countless lessons that help shape her into the unique person she is, and she uses these lessons to help and inspire others. Beginning August 19th, Redman will be competing and preparing with fellow titleholders in The Miss for America Strong pageant in Las Vegas, Nevada. With all her amazing life experience, Redman will continue to dazzle and motivate others to follow their dreams on and off the stage.