Local music therapist Kimberly Szabo, 25, had been living out her dream of singing for hospice patients when the pandemic inspired her to compete as Miss Chestnut Hill in this year’s Miss USA pageant.

Szabo sang in choirs and participated in theater as a student, so when the time came to apply for colleges, she sought a way to use her talents to help those in need.

“I kind of just stumbled upon music therapy,” she said, “I thought it was a really good fit for me because I knew I wanted to work with people but I also really loved music, so I was trying to find that happy medium.”

After searching for music therapy programs, Szabo applied and was accepted to Marywood University in Scranton.

“We had a lot of different clinical practices, so I got a taste of working with kids, people with special needs, geriatric patients, all different kinds of populations,” she said.

At first, the decision to specialize in end-of-life care surprised everyone, including herself.

“I actually didn’t think I would like hospice, and then it just kind of happened that my internship was with hospice, and I said ‘Wow, I actually love this,’” she said.

“It’s so rewarding to be able to be there for a person at such a delicate time and to help them through it, so I had a great experience with my internship.”

After graduating from college and briefly working in a psychiatric hospital, Szabo saw a job listing for a music therapist in the Philadelphia region and leapt at the opportunity to return to hospice care.

“When I saw that VITAS had an opening, I was familiar with the company because they’re nationwide, so I said, ‘I have to get that job,’ and I’ve been with them for two years now,” she said.

As Covid-19 made in-person visitation nearly impossible last year, Szabo was able to administer therapy to her patients through video calls or by posting performances online when her patients requested a song.

“I actually made a YouTube channel over the summer because of quarantine, that was one way I reached my patients,” she said.

“I would send them videos, but I put all of those songs on my channel as well. I think the best role I played was just showcasing myself, in that sense.” 

Always drawn to the stage, Szabo became interested in pageants as a young girl growing up in Connecticut.

“They had a Miss Wolcott, the town that I grew up in, and she was everywhere, that was such a normal thing for us to have her on there,” she said.

“That’s where I got the idea of it from, the small town mentality of everyone just knowing Miss Wolcott.”

Eventually, Szabo had the chance to compete in the Miss America competition twice at ages 18 and 19.

“The last time I did it was when I was a freshman in college…it’s a big commitment, and then I was just starting out with school, so I wanted to focus on that,” she said.

Eventually, the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown led her to reassess her priorities and she decided to seize the opportunity to compete in the Miss USA pageant this year.

“I was kind of like, ‘do I want to do it again?’ But then I thought that I’m asking myself this question now, I’m just going to keep wondering and then regret it,” she said.

“I figured this is a good time to do it now, because who knows what’s going to happen next year?”

While Szabo has grown in her personal life, she has observed a cultural shift in attitudes towards pageantry in the years since her last competition.

“People today versus when I did it seven years ago, they definitely have a different viewpoint,” she said.

“I don’t think there’s anything negative about a swimsuit portion of a competition, I think it’s the mentality of how you look at it—some people look at it as misogynistic or something, but I think of it as how I worked really hard to have this sort of discipline and this way to present myself, and I want to show it off.”

Well-known pageants like Miss USA have come a long way since their inception, and now focus more on providing scholarships and career advancement to talented young women from all walks of life, she said.

“There is a lot of controversy about pageants, and I think that’s also why they’re not as common anymore, but hopefully people can see the really good parts about it, too.”

Szabo hopes to draw on support from the local community in her adopted home of Chestnut Hill.

“We have this beautiful neighborhood, and I really admire the community at Chestnut Hill because I grew up in a small town where everything is local,” she said.

“I really appreciate all of the vendors that we have here, and I like making that connection with the community.”

Sponsorships from local businesses, exposure through advertising and donations are ways that community members can support her campaign in the competition, she said.

In turn, she plans to reciprocate that generosity by representing Chestnut Hill in front of a national audience.

“It really is a close-knit community, which is exactly what I’m about,” she said.

“I’ve made a lot of connections, and you know, it feels like it’s my home now.”

Businesses or individuals interested in sponsoring Miss Chestnut Hill can email Kimberly at kmszabo6@gmail.com. The deadline for sponsoring is July 11.

Follow Kimberly Szabo on Facebook or Instagram  for regular updates throughout the competition.