USC Girl Crowned as Pennsylvania's Own Cinderella Mini Miss

The judges of the Pennsylvania Cinderella Scholarship Pageant flipped for Hannah Schwartz’s gymnastic routine. In fact they were so enamored with the personality of this little lady from Upper St. Clair, they crowned her Cinderella Mini Miss for Pennsylvania—the overall winner from the 7 to 9 age group.

“It felt really good, and I felt like I was going to cry. It was the best day of my life,” said Hannah recalling her win.

The pageant, held at Seven Springs, focuses on girls’ natural beauty and gives them a chance to showcase their talents, which is something that Hannah’s mom Ginger Schwartz likes most about it. She estimates that over 50 percent of the winning criteria is based on the talent portion of the competition.  

“We really like this. It’s pure and innocent, and I like that it’s a scholarship pageant,” Ginger said.

So far the Cinderella Scholarship Pageant is the only pageant that the Schwartzes have been involved with, and the only one that either foresees Hannah participating in. Ginger isn’t interested in doing competitions every other weekend, like some pageant moms.

“We didn’t do it for the competitive side. We did it for her to have fun,” said Ginger, who attributes her daughter’s win to the genuine personality that Hannah presented on stage. She said it rivaled the overly practiced routines of other girls.

“She was just herself, which is why I liked it,” Ginger said.

Hannah is already an active girl involved in cheerleading and gymnastics. She’s been doing gymnastics since she was 4 years old and is level 5.

“I’m always really busy,” Hannah said.

Being Cinderella Mini Miss will add to Hannah’s busy schedule. Winners of the pageant are required to attend 75 percent of official state functions. That could include appearances by Hannah at parades, fundraisers and other social events.

Hannah made friends with many girls at the pageant who she calls her ‘cindy sisters.’ The winning girls in each age category will have their own group trips and volunteer opportunities throughout the year as well.

“They’ll end up being really good friends,” Ginger said.

Both Hannah and Ginger are looking forward to the final competition in Las Vegas at the end of July, where Hannah will have a chance to meet more ‘cindy sisters’ from all over the world.