Marissa Luna
Marissa Luna has been selected to be the 2026 recipient of the IDA’s “But You LOOK Good” Inspiration Award. Marissa has been chosen because, as a singer, songwriter, and founder of the “More Than Meets the Eye” campaign, she leverages her platform to advocate for and inspire individuals living with invisible disabilities. Marissa’s personal journey managing three learning disabilities, optic drusen, and Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) serves as an authentic foundation for her creative art and public advocacy.
Rather than framing health as a finished battle, Marissa used her lived experience to highlight the continuous journey of navigating health challenges that others cannot see. Through your creative platform and dedicated advocacy work, she offers an inspiring message of self-acceptance and daily strength, encouraging others living with invisible disabilities to embrace their ongoing journey without fear or shame.
“But You LOOK Good” Inspiration Award
Marissa Luna is a 22-year-old Nashville-based country/pop singer-songwriter originally from Birmingham, Alabama. Her passion for the performing arts began early with classical vocal training, youth musical theater, and songwriting at age 13, eventually honing her craft with Atlanta’s Jan Smith Studios. Blending soulful storytelling with viral digital success—including an acoustic release streaming nearly 900,000 times—she continues to captivate audiences, recently bringing her talents to the stage of American Idol (Season 24) while preparing her debut country EP.
Throughout her artistic journey, Marissa has leveraged prominent title wins—including Miss Tennessee Valley’s Outstanding Teen (2018), Miss University of Alabama (2023), and Miss Nashville (2024)—to command major stages. Her musical accomplishments include a featured performance honoring Peanutt Montgomery at the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 2023, as well as opening slots for acclaimed acts including Maddie & Tae, Walker Hayes, and Grammy-winner Yolanda Adams alongside the Alabama Symphony Orchestra.
Behind her spotlight achievements lies a deeply personal journey of managing invisible disabilities. Navigating three learning disabilities (including early struggles with ADD), optic drusen, and Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), Marissa knows firsthand the complexity of living with conditions that others cannot see. Rather than letting these invisible obstacles limit her aspirations, she translates her lived experience into vulnerability, creative depth, and artistic authenticity.
Driven by a desire to ensure no one faces invisible challenges alone, Marissa founded her More Than Meets the Eye advocacy campaign in 2018 during her teen pageant years. Beginning as an initiative supporting the Children’s Miracle Network—featuring creative efforts like a T-shirt fundraiser with Birmingham mural artist Marcus Fetch—the campaign grew into a full-fledged non-profit dedicated to raising public awareness and dismantling the stigma surrounding learning differences and invisible disabilities.
Today, Marissa leverages her music, social platforms, and public speaking to offer a message of self-acceptance and everyday perseverance. By reframing health not as a fixed victory but as an evolving daily journey, she inspires others living with invisible disabilities to pursue their dreams without fear or shame, proving that everyone is truly more than what meets the eye.