I’m a Hooters girl saving up for med school and competing in their $30k pageant – I’ll still work here when I’m a doctor
AN Ohio-based waitress and future doctor is the full package — beauty and brains — and she’s about to prove it to a panel of judges.
Hooters girl Sophia Zullo is getting ready to apply to med schools, but first, she’ll compete in the annual Hooters International pageant in Forth Worth, Texas, on August 22.
Sophia, who works at Hooters and is about to start her senior year of college, explained that the job has helped her earn money for medical school — plus some other unexpected perks.
“I think Hooters as a brand has really built my self-confidence, especially trying new things and going out of my comfort zone,” she told The U.S. Sun.
Her long-term goal is to become an ultrasound technician.
“I specifically want to be in the neonatal unit,” she said.
“I’m very passionate about children, and serving others just like how I do in a restaurant is something that comes very naturally to me.”
She was inspired to go into the medical field after her grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer.
But working at Hooters actually has closer links to that goal than people might think.
“When you think of Hooters, I think most people don’t really think about how we dive into our community,” she said.
“Our calendar sales, from every calendar, give a dollar automatically to breast cancer [organizations].”
Sophia hopes to impress judges with her lengthy list of achievements, including graduating with the highest honors from her high school and landing on the Dean’s List in college.
MAKING THAT SMART MONEY
Sophia is paying for her education with money she makes at Hooters, but it’s not just her wage and tips.
In 2023, she competed in Hooters’ International pageant, walking away with a third place title and a fat check for $8,000.
“[My grandma] cried, for sure. We all kind of cried, but my family came and had me on a T-shirt. They’re very supportive of me and anything that I do,” she said.
Hooters also has a tuition reimbursement program she’s taken full advantage of.
“If you’re doing well in school, they reimburse you for your tuition, which is an amazing help and not something you would get in another workplace,” she said.
She admitted she has a little bit of debt from her freshman year because she wanted to live in the dorms, but she also has savings.
“The reimbursement program allowed me to put some money away, as well as build up a savings account for the future,” she said.
SAVE THE DATE
Sophia never expected to receive the opportunities she’d been granted while working the service job.
In addition to being selected to participate in the competition as the only girl from her branch two years in a row, she’s also had the chance to appear in Hooters’ annual calendar.
Sophia was selected as Hooters’ 2023 Miss March after beating out the odds in a highly selective process.
“You have so much fun. You get to meet girls from other stores and showcase your talents in front of the camera,” she said.
Going into my professional career, I will definitely save a day or two for Hooters.
Sophia Zullo
“But it’s also not a guarantee that you will be in the calendar that year.
“If you are going to the pageant, you have another opportunity, which is really exciting, but you don’t know until the calendar comes out.”
$30,000 PLANS
This year, with a bit more experience under her belt, Sophia says the pressure is on — especially since she has just under ten minutes to impress the judges.
“I’m surrounded by 50 other gorgeous women. I had to say to myself, ‘What am I going to do to stick out in the crowd?'” she said.
“[I think] getting the judges to know me more on a personal level and what I’m about is something that will take me farther.”
While the stakes are high for Sophia — with $30,000 on the table — she, unsurprisingly, revealed practical plans for her prize money if she were to win.
“Definitely some of that will go towards my student debt, and honestly, I’ll probably just save it,” she said.
As for after the competition, Sophia added that she plans to stick with the restaurant chain.
“I definitely have no plans to leave Hooters anytime soon,” she said.
“I think that going into my professional career, I will definitely save a day or two for Hooters,” she said.
“We have so much fun at work; it doesn’t even feel like work. There’s so many benefits that come out of it, so I definitely have no plans of leaving after I graduate.”