Bristol County teens take top four spots at Miss Massachusetts’ Teen competition

FALL RIVER — Emma Gibney of New Bedford, a 17-year-old junior at New Bedford High School, was named Miss Massachusetts’ Teen 2023. The 23rd annual competition was held Sunday May 7th at the BMC Durfee High School Performing Arts Center. Twenty contestants from across the Commonwealth competed for the title and over $7000 was awarded to the contestants in scholarships. Jenna McLaughlin of Medford, the outgoing titleholder, crowned her successor before an audience of over 350 attendees.

Gibney, who competed as Miss Blackstone Valley’s Teen, will compete at the Miss America’s Teen competition in early January. For the first time since the Miss America’s Teen competition began in 2005, Miss America’s Teen 2024 and Miss America 2024 will be crowned together. The location and date of the national competitions will be announced soon. As Miss Massachusetts’ Teen, she will receive $3000 in scholarships and various awards and gifts from competition sponsors. At the national competition, she will have the opportunity to compete for thousands of dollars more.

Gibney will dedicate her year of service to her personal Community Service Initiative, “S.T.A.Y: Start the Awareness Young Suicide Prevention. In 2018, Emma’s cousin Tyler lost his long battle with mental health and chose suicide. “He thought that taking his own life was the only solution to the pain and suffering that he was feeling at that moment. I chose Suicide Prevention as my Community Service Initiative because I want other young adults to know that suicide is not the answer”. In addition to the $3000 scholarship for placing first, she received an additional $100 scholarship for winning the Overall Academic Award. She will also promote the Miss America’s Teen’s national fundraising platform, The Miss America’s Scholarship Foundation which raises scholarship money for young women ages 13-28 who participate in local, state, and national competitions. At the state competition, the 20 contestants collectively raised nearly $2,900 for The Miss America’s Scholarship Foundation.

At New Bedford High School, Emma is in the Academy of Honors and takes all Advance Placement and Honors classes. She was the President of the National Junior Honor Society in 2019, has made the Principal’s Honor Roll and has received a STEM award. A member of the Mayor’s Youth Council, Emma plays #1 Singles on the Varsity Tennis team, was the Southcoast Player of the Week, and a member of the Southcoast All Star team. She is a member of the Key Club, Whaler Wave and the Great Outdoors club and is also the Class of 2024 Historian. In her free time, she enjoys painting, going to concerts and volunteering for many organizations. Her future plans are to obtain a bachelor’s degree in marine biology and become a Marine Biologist. She is the daughter of Timothy and Nicole Gibney of New Bedford. For the talent portion of the competition, she performed an original spoken word poem entitled “Stay.

The Miss Massachusetts’ Teen competition includes teenagers from ages 13 to 18. Other winners received scholarship awards and plaques. They included:

First runner-up was Na’Shajia Monteiro, 16, of New Bedford. A junior at Old Rochester Regional High School she competed as Miss Fall River’s Teen. She received a scholarship of $1000 and was the recipient of the $100 Overall Interview Award and the Overall Evening wear award which was also a $100 scholarship.

Second runner-up and the recipient of a $750 scholarship was Faith O’Hanlon, 17, of North Attleboro, a junior at Bishop Feehan High School. She competed as Miss Southeastern’s Teen.

The third runner-up was Miss Freetown’s Teen Payton Shepherd who received a $500 scholarship. A resident of Dighton, she is a 17-year-old junior at Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical High School.

Fourth runner-up was Erica Parks, a 16-year-old junior at North Andover High School. She resides in North Andover and was awarded a $250 scholarship. Erica was also awarded an additional $100 scholarship as the Overall Ad Seller. She competed as Miss Boston’s Teen.

Additional award recipients were:

Madison Mathias received two scholarship awards. She was the winner of the Pageant Planet’s Online People’s Choice Award. She received half of the money she raised for a total of $514. For the month leading up to the competition, voters could choose their favorite contestant and vote for her online to be eligible for this scholarship award. Madison was also the winner of a $100 scholarship as the Top Fundraiser for the Miss America’s Scholarship Foundation. She raised a total of $846 for this scholarship foundation. She is a 15-year-old resident of Ludlow and is a freshman at Ludlow High School.

Mia Mitchell, 18, of Kingston is a senior at Silver Lake Regional High School and was the recipient of the 3rd Annual Millie Perry Community Service Award in the amount of $200. This award was judged by an outside panel and was named in honor of the late mother of the State Teen Director Donna Perry Klamkin and grandmother of Board Member Allison Klamkin. It was funded by the family of Carly Fisher, Miss Massachusetts’ Teen 2017. Mia is the current Miss Lakeville’s Teen.

London Brum, a 17-year-old junior at Bishop Stang High School and resident of New Bedford was the recipient of the 1st Annual “Pain into Purpose” scholarship award sponsored by the outgoing titleholder Jenna McLaughlin. She received a $200 scholarship award and competed as an At-Large Contestant representing the South Coast

Kayla O’Hara, Miss Worcester County’s Teen is a 17-year-old senior at Bridgewater Raynham Regional High School and was voted by her peers as the winner of the Spirit of MMAOTeen.

The other contestants included:

Sydney Drugan, 16, of Westfield, is a sophomore at Westfield High School. She competed as Miss Western Massachusetts’ Teen.

Laila Hosnander, 15, of Hampden, is a freshman at Minnechaug Regional High School. She competed as Miss Hampden County’s Teen.

Julie Liuzza, 17, of Saugus, is a junior at St. Mary’s High School. She competed as an At Large Contestant representing the North Shore.

Dana Lu Ott, 14, is an 8th grade student at Duxbury Middle School. Competing as an At Large Contestant representing the South Shore, she is a resident of Duxbury.

Summer Raimondo, 16, of Chicopee, is a junior at Stoneleigh-Burnham School. She competed as an At Large Contestant representing the Connecticut River Valley.

Summer Skye Ramos, 17, of Fairhaven, is a senior at Fairhaven High School. She competed as Miss Whitman’s Teen.

Lillian Annette Rankin, 16, of Plympton, is a sophomore at Silver Lake Regional High School. She competed as Miss Cape Cod’s Teen.

Anastasia Rose, 15, of Acushnet, is a freshman at Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School. She competed as an At Large Contestant representing Cranberry Country.

Victoria Lyn Santos, 17, of Easthampton, is a junior at Easthampton High School. She competed as an At Large Contestant representing the Four Hamptons.

Katie Thomas, 13, of Fall River, is an eighth grader at Matthew J. Kuss Middle School. She competed as an At Large Contestant representing Eastern Massachusetts.

Jaime St. Onge, 17, of Acushnet, is a junior at Fairhaven High School. She competed as Miss New Bedford’s Teen.

The Miss Massachusetts’ Teen competition is affiliated with the Miss Massachusetts Scholarship Foundation. For information about the Miss Massachusetts’ Teen program, email Donna Klamkin at donnaklamkin@gmail.com. To book Emma for an appearance, please contact Business Manager Rocky Graziano at rockygraziano@me.com .

The Miss Massachusetts’ Teen Program provides personal and professional opportunities for young women. For information about the program, visit www.mmaoteen.org or on Facebook, Tik Tok and Instagram.