Sumter's Next Generation, presented by TheLINK: Miss Sumter Madisen Galiano uses pageant platform for year-round education on assault prevention

Before she ever stepped onto a pageant stage in heels and rhinestones, Madisen Galiano wore running spikes and carried a shotgun.

From a four-time state champion in sporting clays, former track runner and colorful theater kid during her time at Wilson Hall to a first-generation college student and now Miss Sumter, Madisen is multidimensional. But beneath the titles and talent lies something deeper: a calling. And she's using her crown to answer it.

When Madisen entered her first pageant at Charleston Southern University in January 2024, she had no training and no idea what to expect. Her pageant walk was not the best, and she became emotional as she spoke about her platform. For her talent portion, she did what came naturally-she shared the gospel.

"That was the only thing I knew [how to do] at the time," she said with laughter.

She struggled to get her footing in the pageant world and wondered if it was for her. But someone in South Carolina Collegiate America saw through the nerves to a light worth nurturing in Madisen. That moment led her to compete again in January 2025- this time prepared, poised and walking in her purpose. She walked away with the Miss Sumter title and a plan to use it for far bigger than pageant glory.

Going into the Miss South Carolina competition this June, her platform, Brave Boundaries, aims to educate children, teens and adults on sexual assault prevention and personal boundaries - a subject she approaches not from a place of pity, but of personal experience and empowerment.

In third grade, Madisen was sexually assaulted. It took years before she felt comfortable enough to open up to her family. And a few more would go by before she had the conversation with friends.

"I think it is very important to have a face for the matter because every six to eight seconds, someone is sexually assaulted, and every nine minutes, a child is sexually assaulted," she explained. "Education starts within the classrooms and then with the parents."

But Madisen isn't waiting for the state title to start doing the work. Since being crowned, she's met with Wilson Hall Headmaster Brent Kaneft to discuss how schools can implement boundary and assault education at every level. She's planning to speak at council meetings and preparing to volunteer with Pathways to Healing, working a 12-hour shift answering hotline calls to be a voice on the end of the line when someone needs it most.

This kind of service runs in her blood. She admires the work of her grandfather, the late Sumter City Councilman Robert "Bob" Galiano, and is studying South Carolina legislation, building fluency in law and policy to make her advocacy more than just words on stage.

"I have educated myself so much on what is happening in South Carolina. I feel more empowered to create change and to speak about what I think should change," she expressed. "The Miss South Carolina [pageant] system is about empowering young leaders and creating us to lead the future generations."

Madisen doesn't see Sumter as a city defined by its struggles but rather a place of promise, full of small businesses carving their path, neighbors lifting each other up and young people daring to lead. Whether she takes home the crown or not this June, she wants her try at it to be the sign young people need to speak boldly, lead with empathy and know that healing and hope can go hand in hand.