City Crowns Miss Fountain Valley at Lavish Event

With the audience in anticipation, all eyes were glued to the stage and all ears clung to each word of the Mistress of Ceremonies, Kristy Cavinder-Frontiera, as she prepared to announce the winner of the night, Miss Fountain Valley 2012.

After the two-hour scholarship pageant, in which 12 contestants competed in swimsuit, talent, evening gown and onstage question competitions, Cavinder-Frontiera, a former Miss America 2009 contestant, announced the winner of Saturday evening‘s event.

“Alright ladies, ready?," began Cavinde-Frontiera. "Our 2012 Miss Fountain Valley who will be receiving a $5,000 scholarship and who will be representing the great city of Fountain Valley is…Andrea Licata!”

The crowd erupted in cheers and applause as 18 year old Andrea Licata was crowned Miss Fountain Valley of 2012.

The sold-out pageant unraveled flawlessly to a crowd of 550 people. The contestants, age 17-22, dominated the stage of the Saigon Performing Arts Center in glamorous attire as they displayed what made them worthy of the title of Miss Fountain Valley.

In the talent competition, the 12 contestants all exhibited various talents, from monologues to salsa dances. The audience was captivated by the young women and their performances of the night. Contestant Phoebe Horibe, 20, belted out a song from the musical My Fair Lady, while Jeanamarie Pirio, 22, performed a salsa dance in Spanish garb. Krisztina Lamb performed a theatrical poetry reading of Lewis Carroll’s “Jaberwocky.”

The winner of the event, Andrea Licata, also received a $500 scholarship for receiving the highest score in talent. She played “Enchanted Waterfall” on the piano during the talent portion of the competition. She modeled a teal one-piece bathing suit during the swimsuit competition, and when crowned she glided across the stage in a silver gown, acknowledging the audience with a gleeful smile, with her officiating sash draped across her.

Licata expressed complete surprise when hearing her name announced as the winner of Miss Fountain Valley.

“I was so excited. I had no idea. I could have dropped my jaw down to the floor. It was so amazing!” Licata said excitedly.

Licata, who studies Economics at the University of California, Irvine, said as Miss Fountain Valley she plans to focus on her platform statement, which is to create awareness for early breast cancer detection. Later this year Licata will participate in the Miss California 2012 competition.

Other winners of the night included Taylor Benay Palitz, 17, who was awarded $500 through the Platform Scholarship for her work with impoverished children. Aimee Le, 20, was awarded $500 for her performance during the evening gown competition and for her eloquence and poise during the onstage question session. The award of Miss Congeniality, which was voted on by the 12 contestants, was awarded to Jeanamarie Pirio, 22. Pirio received the award along with a $250 scholarship by exemplifying the ideals of what Miss America should be.

The runner-ups to the Miss Fountain Valley title were Sophia Lam, 20, who was the third runner up and the recipient of a $1,500 scholarship. The second runner up was Valerie Kraus, 19. She received $2,000 in scholarship funds. Aimee Lee was the first runner up and the recipient of a $2,500 scholarship.

A total of $13,000 in scholarship funds were given away at the event by various sponsors which included Sam’s Club, Star Real Estate, Care Ambulance and Seashore Pest Control.

Caviner-Frontiera said of the evening. “The overall outcome of the pageant is that these young women formed lifelong friendships and their lives were changed. They grew through this pageant and they all seemed so supportive of the winner, and I think they are all excited to see how she will do at Miss California 2012.”