Jude Maboné (SIS/BA ’18) has enough ambition to go around, and the work ethic to back it up. You can feel your eyes widening the longer you talk to her. She’s a 2018 graduate of American University and the track & field team who was crowned Miss DC in 2023, and while nothing has come easy, she hasn’t let anything stand in her way.

The biggest hurdle she’s faced was a series of heart attacks she endured as a teenager. While she kept her health issues largely private at the time, and was able to move forward with her track career, Maboné is now much more outspoken about issues concerning cardiovascular health and how it can truly affect anyone.

As a freshman at American, Maboné was part of one of the University College Programs and ended up taking a theater class with fellow students. That landed her on a listerv where she eventually learned that Miss DC was looking for contestants. Fortunately, Maboné happened to have a background in music and theater, including Italian Opera that her mother insisted she learn as a fifth-grader.

“I thought, ‘Oh, this is on my bucket list. I'm gonna go check it out.’ So, I tried it for the first time as a freshman and then I competed all four years that I was here. I kept doing it post-grad because there was scholarship money that I could win and that helped me pay off my student loans.”

Maboné competed six times without winning, but other prizes such as a number of Miss Congeniality awards allowed her to fully pay off her education a few years ago. After her seventh appearance, she aged out according to the old rules that allowed you to compete until 25 years old, and then 26 because of the pandemic.

“I aged out, and I grieved the loss of the dream, and kind of moved on.”

But the rules changed, and the opportunity came back for Maboné to compete once again. Following the NFL’s Damar Hamlin going into sudden cardiac arrest, the conversation about heart health gave her a platform to tackle the issue.

“I thought, ‘You know what, I'm gonna just go for it one more time. Get a little money towards my MBA, whether I win or lose, and just kind of see what happens.’”

With that pressure off, the seventh time was the charm and Maboné was declared the winner of Miss DC in 2023. Her focus while fulfilling that role has been on CPR and AED education, and Maboné has partnered with MedStar Health to do CPR educational videos including one with Gallaudet University entirely in American Sign Language, which is another hidden talent of Maboné’s.

“I do a lot with the American Heart Association—fundraising, and advocacy work. I work with the NIH a lot on different campaigns, targeting different demographics and trying to educate, specifically women, on the importance of heart health and young people on the importance of heart health.”

Other issues Maboné has focused on in DC include caring for unhoused neighbors and supporting veteran communities, doing a lot of work with the Honor Flight network. 

It would be easy to imagine that Maboné’s work as Miss DC is a full-time job, but it’s all done in her “free” time.

“I work full-time for Seward and Kissel, a law firm,” said Maboné. “I'm on the marketing team. It's very fun, and I'm really lucky because I have a lot of support. My firm all flew down to Orlando and cheered me on in Miss America. They're super supportive of me; they donate regularly to the American Heart Association and other causes that I care about. It’s been a great place to work.”

The opportunity to compete in Miss America came up in January when Maboné was halfway through her year-long stint as Miss DC.

After all the hurdles to get there, Maboné lost her voice when she arrived in Orlando for Miss America, making the task of singing Italian Opera that much more daunting. 

“I was glad I chose a song that I knew I could sing no matter how I felt! It was the first song that I learned in the private voice lessons I was forced into, so that kind of paid homage to my mom and to that connection.”

It’s no secret that pageant contestants are typically those blessed with good looks and those who work hard to look good. That hasn’t changed, but, rather than the swimsuit competitions of the past, the contestants now model active wear as part of the competition.

“There’s videos playing that show how you stay fit, and how you keep your cardiovascular health a priority in your life,” said Maboné. “So that was kind of touching to me as somebody who thinks a lot about my cardiovascular health.”

Maboné credits her athletic background and weightlifting experience at AU for part of her ability to stay so fit, but also has a six-year-old dog who helps keep her active. 

“If he's being well-loved, then I'm loving myself well,” she said. “So, I spend a lot of time outside intentionally. I live really close to Rock Creek Park. Running is still a large part of my life. I'm not nearly as fast as I was, but it's still an important part of my life. I still eat very similarly to how I ate when I was in college, and I still run and I still prioritize getting outside every day.”

While Maboné could quite easily be content with the bucket list experiences she’s had already, as well as a steady job she enjoys, her ambition knows no limits.

“My long-term aspiration is to be the CEO of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee,” said Maboné. “It’s the intersection of athletics and international studies, and I found that passion here at AU. The courses I took here in the School of International Service were really what sparked the interest in that dream.”

After completing her year-long responsibilities as Miss DC, Maboné will pursue her MBA with plans to become a brand manager. “I'm really into brand and storytelling and just bringing all those components together to make a really great product with a really good story behind it. I’m targeting major athletic retailers as my potential first employers, but we'll kind of see what happens in my next two years.”

The location of her MBA pursuit is not yet known, but she’s open to leaving the city for a while.

“I did apply to a few schools that are still in the area. I love this area. But, the majority of schools I applied to aren't here. I'm at a place in my life where I have the ability to go somewhere else, so I kind of want to explore another place but I think that my heart will always lead me back here because this is home for me.”

Remaining nearby has helped Maboné stay tied to American, but the connections she forged as a student-athlete run so deep that it hasn’t been necessary.