Cinderella Story
Jennifer Garrison (BSN ’06) makes the most of her life as a nurse, a committed volunteer and a pageant winner—with a never-ending desire to lift others up.
By Reggie Hayes
Photography provided by Jennifer Garrison
Jennifer Garrison still sees herself in the faces of the teenage girls in line for free prom dresses and special extras at the Fort Wayne Medical Alliance Society’s Cinderella Dress Day. She related to their hopes and dreams; she understands their fears and worries. As a co-chair of the event, she remains driven to help and inspire.
“I grew up with nothing; I know what that feels like,” Garrison said. “One of my favorite quotes is, ‘God doesn’t always call the qualified, but he always qualifies the called.’ I just feel very called. I’m supposed to do this as long as I can.”
When Garrison feels called to act—whether as a nurse, a Mrs. American pageant winner or a Cinderella Dress Day volunteer—she pours her heart into it. She experienced some challenging situations growing up in Fort Wayne, but she didn’t let her circumstances deter her. “Undaunted” is an apt word to describe her.
“We all go through tough times, but your setbacks can be your set up to success. It’s all about your mindset. You can be a victim, or you can be a victor. There’s going to be hard stuff. You’ll have tears. You’ll think, ‘Why me? This isn’t fair.’ But you just keep going. You see your goal and you go after it.”
Jennifer Garrison (BSN ’06)
Pursuing goals? Garrison’s life is full of examples.
She started her nursing career as a student at IPFW but switched to Saint Francis—playing on the tennis team for two years—to earn her degree. She worked in cardiovascular intensive care immediately out of college. “Every nurse should work in critical care at some point,” she said. “There are just some skills you learn there that you don’t learn anywhere else.”
When she and her husband, Jason, welcomed their son Michael, she switched to working as a case manager every weekend. Now, she’s a nurse with Accuity, helping assess hospitals’ in-patient documentation.
For 11 years as a volunteer, Garrison’s yearly goal has been to grow the Cinderella Dress Day’s ability to provide prom dresses, shoes, jewelry and more to high school girls who don’t have the financial means to make their memorable night special. Cinderella Dress Day now serves more than 2,000 girls.
“I always had to borrow my dresses, stuff like that,” Garrison said. “So, when I heard about this program, I reached out to the director.” Working consecutive 15-hour days at the program’s big event is a small price to pay to make a difference. “We have 300 volunteers, and it’s wonderful to see people in the community come together.” she said.
Another accomplished goal: She won the Mrs. Indiana American competition and was second runner-up Mrs. American. Her pageant experience dates to competing for Miss Fort Wayne as a college student.
She had taken part in the Mrs. American pageant in the past and won the congeniality award, but 2025 marked her first title. The pageant helped her to publicly promote her nonprofit, Empowerment through Education, which awards scholarships to Indiana students seeking secondary education.
“When you’re competing with women who come in on jets—their own jets, I’m not joking—it’s intimidating,” she said. “But you just have to stay true to yourself and just share your gratitude and joy in what you’re doing.”
Competing and winning in the pageant fulfilled a goal that had been on Garrison’s list for many years.
“Sometimes as a woman, after you have a baby, you get kind of lost—you’re just a wife, you’re just a mom, you’re in this square box,” she said. “Not that those things aren’t wonderful—because they are—but they don’t define you. Everyone’s multifaceted. It’s good to have a goal to accomplish something, and that makes you want to keep going for more and more goals.”
Garrison’s next goal: Improving as a photographer. She plans to use her photography skills in some way with pageants. For example, she envisions providing courtesy professional headshots to young women who find the competition financially challenging.
“We just want the world to be a better place, and we need everybody to take a part in it,” Garrison said. “Let’s literally hold hands and make it work. It’s about empowering each other.”