Danielle Sammut
Danielle Sammut, of Middletown Township, is a 7th grade Language Arts teacher at Monroe Township Middle School and has been a member of the Kiwanis International service organization since she was a youth. Her own leadership was sparked by the encouragement of Kiwanis members when she was growing up, so now she mentors middle school students in the Kiwanis youth program, Builders Club, and encourages them to perform community service, build character, and develop leadership skills. Danielle was honored by the NJ Kiwanis organization as Alumni of the Year in March 2022 for her impact on the youth.
As Miss New Jersey for America Strong 2022, she has partnered with The Bridge of Books Foundation (BoB) to provide underserved children throughout New Jersey access to diverse and high-interest reading experiences. Recently, she has collected almost 5,000 books to help rebuild the school library at Neptune City’s Woodrow Wilson Elementary School and raised nearly $2,000 for The Bridge of Books Foundation. During her reign, she hopes to use her partnerships with BoB and local Kiwanis clubs to build free Book Ark libraries across various communities throughout the state. Additionally, she will be advocating and raising money for Victoria’s Voice Foundation, a drug prevention program incentivizing teens who choose to be drug-free. Ultimately, Danielle strives to use her voice as Miss New Jersey for America to empower the youth in her community.
Dr. Karen Correa
Dr. Karen Correa is a pharmaceutical executive overseeing Global Clinical Operations at a Top 10 pharmaceutical company. She serves as a board member of East Carolina University Alumni Board and CAMcare Health Corporation, a Federally Qualified Healthcare Center in South Jersey. Dr. Correa is also a Health and Wellness Coach focused helping others make healthy lifestyle choices. She is laser focused on ensuring that young women are exposed to STEM education resources in order to grow the next generation of women is STEM careers. Dr. Correa frequently volunteers at local charity events and supports Victoria’s Voice mission, as it aligns with her self-love platform.
Dr. Correa has created the “Self-Love Project” which is centered onproviding mentoring services to young women and girls in the areas of conflict resolution, navigating family relationships, self-esteem, confidence, positive body image, and other socially and culturally relevant topics. Dr. Correa’s “Self-Love” platform was born out of the physical and mental trauma she experienced as a child after suffering from frequent bullying because of her dark complexion and sexual molestation by a child predator. Dr. Correa believes anyone can overcome trauma through “self-love” and she has made it her mission to reach out to young women and girls to help unlock this inner strength. Since research indicates that 85% of the population suffers from low self-esteem, Dr. Correa believes her work is both important and necessary. As Mrs. America, Dr. Correa will utilize her title to extend her reach to young women and girls to continue to make a difference in their lives.