By John “Woods” Armwood III
Built on Purpose, Powered by Persistence
Ivy "Miss New Jersey" Harrington walks into a room with presence, but more importantly, with purpose. A Jersey native, former collegiate basketball player, and the oldest woman to ever win Miss New Jersey USA, Harrington represents a new definition of what it means to arrive on your own timeline.
When she spoke on Sh3GotGame platform, she didn’t just speak about success, she spoke about earning it.
Redefining What “Groundbreaking” Looks Like
Winning Miss New Jersey USA is an accomplishment in itself. Doing so while redefining age norms in the fashion and pageant world makes it historic. Harrington understands the weight of that crown, but she wears it with intention.
“Nobody can do it like I do it,” she said. “That’s what really got me to the crown.”
Her win wasn’t about fitting into a mold. It was about expanding one. Harrington’s story challenges the idea that dreams have expiration dates, especially for women navigating multiple identities, such as as athletes, professionals, creatives, and leaders.
MVP: Most Valuable Pivot
One of Harrington’s core philosophies is something she calls MVP: Most Valuable Pivot. It’s a mindset born from embracing change rather than fearing it, something she sees reflected powerfully in women’s sports today. Speaking on the WNBA and ongoing conversations around player compensation and visibility, Harrington was clear: this moment has been a long time coming.
“It’s about time. It is long overdue,” she said. “Those women deserve everything they’re getting—their flowers, the compensation, the notoriety, the exposure.”
For Harrington, the rise of the W isn’t just about money or headlines. It’s about honoring the love for the game, the years of hard work, and the resilience it takes to reach the highest stage. Her support is deeply personal because she’s lived that grind herself.
Once a Baller, Always a Baller
Before pageants and sashes, there was basketball. Harrington is a proud Morgan State alum and former Lady Bear. In fact, so much so that she wears with the same pride as her crown.
“I’m a Lady Bear forever and always,” she said. “A baller for sure.”
That athletic background shapes how she moves through every space she enters. The discipline. The competitiveness. The understanding that nothing meaningful comes without sacrifice. Basketball didn’t just prepare her physically, it prepared her mentally for pressure, criticism, and perseverance.
The “Sh3GotGame Moment”
At Sh3GotGame, every conversation leads to one defining question: When did you know? When did it click that this path, however unconventional, the journey was of yours?
For Ivy Harrington, that moment came when she took a chance on pageantry.
“I was never a toddler in a tiara. I didn’t do dance growing up,” Harrington emphasized. “But I knew what I was capable of. I knew my gifts and my interests.”
Stepping into pageants wasn’t a departure from who she was, it was an extension of everything she had already built. Basketball, leadership, communication, and resilience. All of it prepared her for that leap.
“Everything that got me to that moment was preparing me for what I was asking for,” Harrington stated. “And this right here is preparing me for what’s next.” That was the realization. “That’s when I knew, I got game. I got heart. I got grit.”
Entering the Next Chapter
Ivy Harrington’s story isn’t about a single title or moment. It’s about momentum. About trusting evolution. About understanding that success doesn’t always look linear, but it always leaves clues.
She is proof that reinvention is a strength, not a risk. That purpose rewards patience. And that when preparation meets courage, doors open—sometimes in places you never initially imagined. This chapter may have come with a crown, but Harrington is clear: it’s only the beginning.