The new Miss Salt Lake County is just as comfortable in a field as she is on the stage. Ella Rose Leonelli grew up on a farm in Tooele, where water conservation was top of mind. After attending a SheTech event in high school, she found her passion for environmental engineering, earning her degree from Utah State University.

As Miss Salt Lake County, Leonelli will combine those two worlds with her mission shaped in care, curiosity and a determination to protect the world.

“It was really nice to be able to take what I was passionate about as a child and turn it into a career,” Leonelli said. “Now I’m a full-time employee at an amazing engineering firm in Lehi, AE2S. How lucky am I to have been able to figure out, at such a young age, what I wanted to do?”

Leonelli didn’t start competing for pageant titles until her last year of college. She was looking for a way to give back to the community when someone suggested pageants, which would allow her to create her own service platform. She had already worked with AmeriCorps and the pageant circuit allowed her to share her passion.

“There are a lot of amazing women who are doing phenomenal work in their communities and towns. These women are the reason that I continued to participate in pageants,” she said. “Getting to know these other women who were passionate about similar things like community service, giving back and being involved, it gave me a sense of community.”

The 23-year-old Bluffdale resident’s platform, Ignite the Future: Preparing the Next Generation for Success, is focused on helping students build skills for growth and achievement. By assisting them with resume building, interview preparation and professional development, Leonelli hopes to inspire youth to build confidence.

“I want to go into the community and engage with these kids at their level, to help them start thinking about it, not pressuring them into having a decision made, but to start thinking about what those next steps are,” she said.  “I want to be somebody they can look up to as a mentor. Part of my community service initiative is that I offer free interview practice, whether that be for scholarships, Sterling scholars or high schoolers interviewing for their first job.”

Not only is Leonelli a scientist, teen mentor and beauty queen, but she is also a talented singer. She performed “Sempre Libera” from the opera “La Traviata” during the Miss Salt Lake County pageant. She also served as Miss Oquirrh Mountain 2025 and will compete at the Miss Utah pageant in June. 

She invites any city in the county to reach out to her for upcoming events, school visits, community programs or other gatherings. She can be reached at [email protected]. To learn about her platform, visit her Instagram page @ignite.the.future.

“I’m passionate about serving my community, I’m passionate about being involved in my community,” Leonelli said. “I want it to be seen through all of Salt Lake County. I want to interact with kids. I want to be somebody they can look up to as a mentor.”