By Lori Bizzoco
The women of ABC’s The Bachelor may be competing for a man’s heart, but the only thing Loren Galler-Rabinowitz wants to win is this year’s Miss America crown! But don’t think that the Miss Massachusetts contestant is just another pretty face. The 2010 graduate from Harvard University has a degree in English and just finished a 10-year figure skating career as a U.S. Champion ice dancer. In addition to her dreams of becoming a published poet, the Brookline, Mass. native received an $8,000 scholarship from the Miss America Organization as Miss Massachusetts, which she will put towards pursuing a medical degree. If all this wasn’t enough, the 24-year-old won an additional $250 for winning the talent portion of the competition (nope, not for ice dancing – she’s a classically-trained pianist). And this Saturday on ABC, Galler-Rabinowitz will show the country just why she deserves to win not only the Miss America title, but the $50,000 academic scholarship that goes along with it.
One reason is her devotion to her philanthropic cause, fighting childhood hunger. In fact, Galler-Rabinowitz, who spent a lot of her childhood in Barbados where her mother runs the center for malnourished children, was awarded the Harvard’s English department’s Le Baron Briggs Traveling Prize for her humanitarian work. Her goal is to work in the area of pediatrics.
How does this non-stop woman find time to accomplish all this – and manage a happy and healthy relationship with her boyfriend of three years? Cupid was lucky enough to speak with her and find out:
After all that you have accomplished, what encouraged you to participate in the Miss America Competition now?
I knew that I wanted to take a year off between undergrad and medical school and I wanted to use that time to give a year of service. I figured that this was the last opportunity in my life where I don’t have financial obligations to anyone other than myself. I wanted to do something that would encourage people to help others and Miss America gives me the platform to do that.
In what ways has your title of Miss Massachusetts already started to impact people?
One advantage of being Miss Massachusetts is that I get to go to schools and give talks. Sometimes people think kids don’t listen, but they do. I’ve received hundreds of email responses. Whether it’s someone saying, “Because of you I started a UNICEF chapter at my school,” or, “This weekend I am going to be nicer to my little sister.”
Miss America is a beauty contest, no doubt about that. There is an aesthetic element to it, but it’s not girl who is the most beautiful girl on the outside who wins – it’s the one who is most beautiful on the inside. As Miss Massachusetts, I’ve put in up to something like 70 hours a week of public service. I’m not paid to do this. Being Miss America is even more intensive, but I think that I have the heart to do this job.
What do you say to inspire people?
I usually talk to people about what’s not on my resume. I worked for 10 years to make an Olympic team, and unfortunately, it didn’t turn out the way that I wanted it to and I was really disappointed.  I started to volunteer in a hospital as a way to observe how other people were dealing with loss, and see if I could learn how to get through a tough time in my life. Also, my grandmother, who I was very close to, passed away around that same time. So I dedicated time each week to caring for others and it was so unbelievably rewarding. Now, I get to talk about the fact that you can take a bad situation and make the best of it by helping others who may be in an even worse situation. Doing the littlest things for someone can brighten their day.
How important do you think beauty is in a relationship?
I think that I would use the word “attraction” rather than “beauty,” because everyone finds something different to be beautiful. In my own life, I have always looked for someone who has the same passion for giving back and doing good. Ultimately, we all end up with wrinkles and gray hair, and saggy in places that we wish we weren’t. But at the end of the day, you want to make sure that you are actually in love with the person – and not what they look like.
How did you and your boyfriend meet and what keeps you together?
We met at school and we’ve been dating for three years. He has a similar commitment to being in public service and that’s the thing that we have really bonded over. It’s that feeling that your life just isn’t complete unless you are doing something good for someone else every single day.
How do you make time for a relationship when you’re so busy? And what can you say to others in the same situation?
I think that’s the challenge in today’s world. As women, for the first time in history, we are as busy, if not busier, than our spouses, husbands, or boyfriends.  How do you make a relationship function with two working people? I am in awe of my parents and feel lucky that I grew up in a household where my parents were both incredibly busy, but were able to build this incredibly strong bond and love for one another. Even with three children, they still managed to find the time to communicate. They were engaged after only 24 hours and they just celebrated their 40th anniversary.
I think for anyone to feel fulfilled, you want to have a personal life, too. Work is wonderful, but there’s nothing like having time for relationships and family. You have to schedule time, even if it’s 10 minutes, just to make sure that you’re in sync and on the same page.
You are celebrating a birthday only a few days after the competition. Would winning the crown be the best birthday present ever?
Yes (laughing). I can’t really think of anything better – except for maybe a cheesecake and a fork!
Cupid thanks Ms. Massachusetts for her time! And remember to watch her this Saturday, Jan. 15 at 9 p.m. EST on ABC at the 2011 Miss America Pageant – you can even vote for her to be a finalist! Text MAMA (which stands of Massachusetts for Miss America) to 24470. Voting ends at 11:59 p.m. PST tonight, Jan. 13. And for more on the Miss Massachusetts contestant, you can follow her on Twitter: @missmass2010.
Good luck!
