Oakland Township Teen Wins Miss Michigan Teen USA Title

One pageant was all 17-year-old Courtney Pizzimenti of Oakland Township needed to win the title of Miss Michigan Teen USA 2012 on Saturday at McMorran Auditorium in Port Huron.

This was the first pageant the senior had ever participated in, making her new title both surprising and exciting. Pizzimenti noted she was up against about 40 other girls; most were experienced in pageantry, and a few were novices like herself.

“I’m so excited. I couldn’t really believe it,” Pizzimenti said. “The pageant was so much fun — much more fun than I thought it was going to be — and the girls were so nice.”

Preparing for the pageant

Pageantry never crossed Pizzimenti’s mind while she was growing up, but after being influenced by family friend Shannon Grace Sokol, Pizzimenti started training for the pageant in early summer. Sokol, also of Oakland Township, formerly held the title of Miss Michigan USA in 1999; now, when she isn’t working as the director of communications at Grace Centers of Hope, she is training girls for Miss USA and Miss America pageants.

Sokol also pointed Pizzimenti in the direction of modeling about a year ago, and the teen has being doing that ever since.

Pizzimenti said that because of Sokol’s help, she was prepared for the weekend’s events.

“She has the ‘it’ factor,” Sokol said. “Courtney is not only beautiful on the outside but on the inside. She has a heart of gold for other people.”

Pizzimenti said the competition application asked candidates to list different cities they would want to represent. Pizzimenti wrote down those closest to home, and she ended up being designated as Miss Oakland Township.

“It makes me really proud that I get to represent Rochester and Oakland Township," Pizzimenti said. "I’m excited to get to work with different charities, represent Michigan and be a role model for different people.”

With the help of her trainer, she was fully prepped with hair, makeup and routine expertise for the pageant.

The competition

According to Pizzimenti, the contestants rehearsed all day Friday and had their preliminary competition Friday night, where they came out in their cocktail dresses, swimsuits and evening gowns. The day proceeded the same on Saturday with rehearsals; then after the cocktail dress round, the judges announced the top 15 contestants.

“That’s when I started getting nervous and had to keep taking deep breaths and try to relax,” Pizzimenti said.

After that round, judges' scores started with a fresh slate, Pizzimenti noted, and the girls proceeded to model their swimsuits and evening gowns, after which the judges announced the top five contestants. With just five left in the competition, the judges chose one question to ask each of the teens. Pizzimenti’s question was whether it was more important to graduate from high school with all A’s or with great social skills.

“I said it was really important to balance both,” Pizzimenti said.

She went on to say that she did note at the competition that if it came down to two people vying for the job and one had straight A’s and no personality, and one had a great personality but mediocre grades, the person with the personality should get the job. After that round, Pizzimenti was selected as the 2012 Miss Michigan Teen USA.

“I was especially surprised because it was my first time in a pageant, and I wasn’t really sure of myself,” she said. “I was really happy and shocked.”

Similarly, Sokol said, “I knew she could do it; I was speechless and in shock.”

Pizzimenti said her modeling experience helped her with feeling comfortable onstage with a large audience. She said she made sure to look each judge in the eye and focus all of her attention on them instead of on the audience.

When Patch asked what set her aside from other contestants, she said, “I think I was the tallest of all the teen girls.”

The road ahead

Receiving the coveted title of Miss Michigan Teen USA does not come without its own agenda. During the next year, Pizzimenti will have to attend a variety of functions and put in a lot of community service.

“I think it’s going to take 100 percent dedication, but this is my year as Miss Michigan Teen, and I want to do as much as I can,” she said.

Though there are some charity requirements, Pizzimenti said she gets to choose many of the events she participates in, and she is excited to lend a hand and become even more invested in the surrounding community.

Next summer, Pizzimenti will travel to the Bahamas to compete for the title of Miss Teen USA.

“She is very, very smart — just the girl next door — and I think she has great potential to go further on and win Miss Teen USA,” Sokol said.

Pizzimenti still has time to think about whether she would like to enter additional pageants down the road. Next year, when she passes her crown to the next Miss Michigan Teen USA, she will not yet be old enough to compete in the Miss Michigan USA competition, giving her another year to consider the prospect.

“I’m most likely going to wait a few years,” she said.

By next year, Pizzimenti expects to be at one of the six colleges she has applied to. She plans to pursue a major in the realm of journalism or communications.