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If you’ve been in this community very long, surely you have seen the La Reina de las Flores around town. These young ladies are involved in an ongoing tradition that has spanned decades.
The La Reina De Las Flores Scholarship Pageant has been around for the last 30 years; this year’s crowning took place this morning during Apache Gold Casino Resort’s Cinco De Mayo celebration.
“It takes a lot of courage, passion, and dedication to compete,” said executive director Carmen Casillas, who has been the executive director for the last ten years.
The pageant attracts contestants from as far as Kearny, San Carlos, and El Mirage.
Among other categories, the young girls are judged based on their service to the community. They raise money for events like Relay for Life and are involved in programs like Globe Clean and Beautiful. They visit the elderly, and perform at nursing homes.
One of this year’s participants completed more than 100 hours of community service.
“We really keep [the girls] involved in the community,” Casillas said.
The girls are also judged based on how photogenic they are, as well as their talent, modeling, congeniality, and etiquette.
They even participate in an etiquette workshop at Sincerely, Sandra, an image development and modeling school based in Chandler. There, they learn things like how to interview on camera.
The pageant usually begins in February, though next year it will start in January, Casillas said. This year, 15 girls participated in the pageant, including two girls from San Carlos. Participants’ ages range from 16 months to 18 years old. Winners receive educational scholarships.
To keep things fair, winners are chosen by a panel of judges from out of town.
“It’s a very extensive process,” Casillas said. “We don’t know the results until we open the envelopes.”
This year’s crowned contestants are:
Baby Miss: Felicity Lagunas
Little Miss: Alexandria Fernandez
Young Miss: Olivia Fernandez
Junior Miss: Priscila Salazar
Teen Miss: Daisy Anaya
Other contestants included:
Little Miss: Selestina Gonzales
Young Miss: Alexius Gonzales, Chloe Sanchez
Junior Miss: Marissa Baez, Mireya Ortiz, Krista Ramos
This year’s attending queens were:
SCORE’s Teen Miss Adette Hurtado
Elite Beauty USA Marissa Sanchez
Miss OverAll Anisa Spurgeon
Little Miss Madison Smith
Young Miss Ezmee Lem
Jr. Miss Alexia Martinez
Jenn Walker began writing for Globe Miami Times in 2012 and has been a contributor ever since. Her work has also appeared in Submerge Magazine, Sacramento Press, Sacramento News & Review and California Health Report. She currently teaches Honors English at High Desert Middle School and mentors Globe School District’s robotics team.
