May 4, 2025
By Madeline Rosania
Staff Writer
With spring in full swing, pageant season has arrived. Every year between April and June, the Miss New Jersey Teen USA Pageant takes place at the Hilton Hotel in Parsippany where one female between the ages of 14-19 is chosen out of around 100 contestants to represent the state of New Jersey in the national Miss Teen USA competition, which takes place annually in Los Angeles over the summer. Last year, I had the privilege of competing in this prestigious event after a successful phone interview.
After an advertisement for the pageant appeared on my Instagram page in February 2024, I realized that it would be a great way for me to exercise my love for fashion and advocacy. Being that this was my first and only pageant, the process surprised me. It took hard work and dedication to ensure I was prepared, but most importantly, that my wardrobe was assembled.
The event, which took place last year on June 21, consisted of three on-stage categories. In the first round, I wore a white ruffled cocktail dress by Selfie Leslie, which I had purchased from the company’s website. Then, I competed in a two-piece Tek Gear activewear outfit from Kohl’s. Although we were permitted to have small logos on our activewear, the logos could not be prominent, so I went for a solid black set. Finally, during my favorite round, I wore a blue bedazzled strapless evening gown from BouBou Boutique.
As a cost-saving measure due to the expense of pageantry, I borrowed my cousin’s evening gown from her prom. Therefore, I only had to purchase a cocktail dress and activewear. I felt good about this decision because I saved money without sacrificing style.
The most important part of choosing outfits for a pageant is feeling confident and empowered while wearing them. I ensured that all of my outfits fit perfectly, and I chose sophisticated styles to showcase my maturity. Since my interview focused on my position on the importance of mental health and my volunteer work with special needs organizations, I wanted to convey that I am a responsible person who values style but cares even more about helping others.
Through my training, advocacy, interview and presentation process, I learned a lot about myself and what I am passionate about.
To prepare for the event, I participated in two training sessions with Gina Mellish, the pageant coach for the Miss New Jersey Teen USA organization, where she taught me and a group of other contestants about interviewing and walking. Additionally, the week of the pageant, my mom gave me feedback as I practiced walking onstage.
Although I felt good about my performance at the preliminaries, I did not advance to the next round, where the top 15 finalists were selected. This did not bother me because I felt grateful for the experience and gained so many valuable qualities. Through my training, advocacy, interview and presentation process, I learned a lot about myself and what I am passionate about.
Pageantry is a valuable experience for many girls. Although I probably would not participate in a pageant again due to other commitments, I have no regrets about this experience. This once-in-a-lifetime experience was undoubtedly worth my effort.
