With a nod to her stepdad, citing him as her role model, Escalon teen Mya Beary won the heart of the crowd and ultimately claimed the title of Miss Escalon 2019 in the Wednesday, July 10 pageant hosted as part of Park Fete Week festivities.
Contestants all had the opportunity to model casual wear and offer up some information about themselves, as well as doing formal wear modeling and answering impromptu questions.
A panel of judges, most associated with Manteca Youth Focus, was on hand to score the contestants in a variety of areas and both a photo shoot and interview session had preceded the actual pageant.
One of Beary’s impromptu questions was who she considers her role model and she spoke of her stepfather, ‘Polo’ Rodriguez, noting that “he has overcome so much in his life” and has served as an inspiration to her, motivating her to continue working toward her goals no matter the obstacle. Having to stop several times to compose herself, Beary’s answer was the most heartfelt moment of the evening.
Staged at the Escalon Community Center, the event also included dinner, entertainment and dessert along with the pageant.
This year’s contestants were, in order of appearance, Alexandra Titsworth, Ariel Astabie, Ashley Levin, Katelyn Karp, Guadalupe Martinez, Madison Bavaro, Mya Beary, Natalie Cortes, Sage Davis and Trista Matthews.
Also featured during the evening was a final ‘walk’ and reflections on her year as Miss Escalon, the 2018 winner Madison Matsunami. She also served as emcee for much of the evening.
Other titles that night were presented to: Ariel Astabie, Miss Photogenic; Katelyn Karp, Miss Inspirational; Sage Davis, Miss Congeniality; Second Runner Up Ashley Levin, First Runner Up Madison Bavaro and, finally, Miss Escalon Mya Beary.
On Thursday night, it was the opportunity for local youngsters to step into the spotlight, vying for the titles of Little Mr. and Little Miss Escalon. Their pageant featured some impromptu questions, along with sharing why they wanted to represent their town, along with a dance routine.
Again, Manteca Youth Focus representatives provided the judging and also brought in some entertainment.
Winning the Little Mr. Escalon title was Duke Junqueiro with Karisma Cruz selected as Little Miss Escalon.
Members of the Miss Escalon court assisted with the program and there were 16 total contestants, in alphabetical order: Rylan Adams, Brooklyn Barajas, Gwendolyn Buie, Alyssa Casillas, Karisma Cruz, Janessa DaSilva, Sophia Enes, Benjamin Fernandez, Zaniah Griffin, Cora Jefferson, Duke Junqueiro, Abraham Lopez, Jr., Madalynn Parson, Cole Soares, Kennedy Van Dyk, and Kirsten Yater.
