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This year 23 contestants will compete for eight royalty titles at the 61st annual Miss Poway Scholarship Pageant on Sunday, March 30.
The young women will compete for the titles of Miss Jr. Teen Poway, Miss Teen Poway and Miss Poway 2025. The event will also be crowning two princesses for Miss, two princesses for Teen, and one princess for Jr. Teen.
The pageant will start at 4 p.m. in Oak Hall at the Mickey Cafagna Community Center, 13094 Civic Center Drive in Poway. Doors will open at 3 p.m.
Tickets for the Kiwanis Club of Poway-sponsored event can be purchased for $15 at the door or in advance from a contestant.
The day before the event, a panel of judges will evaluate the contestants on their performance in a private interview and speech. The following day, contestants will compete onstage in the “Getting to Know You,” “Poise and Personality” and “Impromptu” competitions.
Panels of four judges, who are a combination of community members, volunteers, business owners and working professionals, will also evaluate contestants for optional awards in the categories of speech, essay, platform presentation and talent.
Alyssa Soto, a Miss Poway Scholarship Pageant co-director with Kayla Locher and Estela Latifzadeh, said the girls and young women ages 12 to 23 years old are eager and excited about participating in the pageant.
“We have one of the strongest groups we’ve had so far,” said Soto, who is in her 15th year of volunteering with the pageant. “They’re all very accomplished young women. I’ve been looking at some of their resumes, and wow, I don’t know how they do it.”
While preparing for the pageant the past two months, contestants have learned about resume writing, public speaking, interview skills, professional dress and makeup, as well as walking with confidence and even self-defense.
“By the time the pageant weekend comes, they’re already professionals,” Soto said.
The winning queens and princess will spend 50 to 100 hours performing community services and making personal appearances throughout Poway and San Diego County. A few of the events they will attend include the Poway Rodeo, Kiwanis Club of Poway pancake breakfasts, city-sponsored events at Old Poway Park, and Poway American Little League baseball games.
Last year’s court winners volunteered as many as 375 hours each and earned Presidential Volunteer Service Awards from the Council for Youth Empowerment, Soto said.
During the past two years, more than $18,000 worth of scholarships have been awarded to the winners, Locher said. This year, pageant directors are expecting to exceed past scholarship amounts, added Soto, who was Miss Poway in 2011.
“The pageant was a catalyst for the rest of my life,” said Soto, an archeologist turned legal professional. “It was a really touching experience. If there’s anything I can do to help others have the same experience, I’m happy and more than willing to help them with that.”
The pageant will include concessions, a raffle, and a fan favorite competition that can be voted on by cash or check. A no-host after party will be held immediately after the event to congratulate the 2025 winners at Kaminski’s BBQ and Sports Lounge restaurant, 12735 Poway Road.
For more information, email misspoway@gmail.com or direct message @MissPowayPageant on Instagram.
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