Karla Aponte Roque was Miss Connecticut USA 2023

Miss Connecticut USA 2023 Karla Aponte Roque is a 27-year-old female born in Caguas, Puerto Rico who is fluent in English, Spanish, and French. She graduated from Albertus Magnus College with a double Bachelor’s degree in Biology and Chemistry, and double minored in Psychology and Pre-Pharmacy in 2019. In 2022, she graduated from Fairfield University in their accelerated nursing program earning her, her third Bachelor’s degree in Nursing. She is currently pursuing her Master’s in Business Administration with a concentration in Healthcare Management at Albertus Magnus College. Karla is a full-time registered nurse on a Medical-Surgical- Telemetry unit at Yale New Haven Hospital in New Haven.
She is an advocate for health in all of its dimensions. She has worked closely with the American Heart Association, Alzheimer’s Association, and American Cancer Society among several other organizations. Having worked in a memory care facility as a certified nursing aide and losing loved ones with Alzheimer’s, the Alzheimer’s Association holds a special place in her heart. Karla has raised over $2000 for the Alzheimer’s Association during the 2019 Walk to End Alzheimer’s event in New Haven. And over four years Karla and her family have raised over $6,000 for the Greater New Haven Heart Walk.Karla has received numerous awards for her achievements throughout her academic and philanthropic work including: Albertus Magnus College Dean’s List 2016-2019, Walsh Family Memorial Award for the highest science GPA, Gamma Kappa Pi Honor Society, Albertus Magnus College Honor’s Award, Grand Champions Club for the Alzheimer’s Association, Veteran’s Affairs VALOR Award, Make a Wish Most Interactive Trunk 2022, and Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society.