• Style Profile: Miss R.I. USA is dressed for success

Theresa Agonia works as a deputy chief of staff for Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza while serving as Miss Rhode Island USA 2016.



Theresa Agonia brings polish and passion to her role as Miss Rhode Island USA and h...[+]Buy Photo


By Jenna Pelletier
Journal Staff Writer 
Posted Dec. 6, 2015 @ 12:01 am
I basically have no days off for the rest of the year, says Theresa Agonia with a laugh. She's not exaggerating.
The 24-year-old Cumberland resident is balancing working full-time as a deputy chief of staff for Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza with her duties as Miss Rhode Island USA 2016. The latter role includes appearances at charity and social events, as well as preparing for the Miss USA pageant to be held this summer.
Politics and pageants aren't as different as they might seem. "There are so many similarities," Agonia says. "You have to get people to vote for you. You have to show your best side and you have to have an opinion on everything. You work for people. You are the face of something, and at the end of the day you're almost like a brand."
She wants to use her platform to empower other young women, especially those from urban environments, to chase their dreams. Raised in Central Falls by Portuguese immigrant parents, Agonia has overcome challenges including the death of her father, the family's primary financial provider, when she was a teenager.

The 2013 Roger Williams University graduate put herself through college with scholarships and by working multiple jobs, including at Kentucky Fried Chicken. Before her current job for Providence's mayor, she worked in a public relations position for the City of Central Falls.
"Central Falls always used to be in the limelight for all the wrong reasons," she says. "Growing up, I even found myself criticizing it at some points. One day, I kind of stepped back and said, 'well, what do I want to do about that?' I decided I wanted to be part of the change that I wanted to see in my community."
What she's wearing
Agonia describes her style as trendy. "I go with whatever's in at the moment," she says.
She's also a fan of "quick steals," from stores such as H&M, form fitting dresses and earthy shades to complement her olive tone skin.
For our photo shoot, she paired a romper from Charlotte Russe with a blazer from H&M. Her heels are by Chinese Laundry.
In her own words
"I've always had long hair. Growing up, my dad was a very strict Portuguese dad, so we weren't allowed to cut our hair, color it or straighten it."
"I'm a big supporter of Viola Davis. This was my fourth time competing for Miss Rhode Island. I almost gave up. But there was this speech she gave at the SAG [Screen Actors Guild] Awards in 2012 and she said I have a message for the kids from Central Falls, dream big and dream fierce. I felt like she was staring right at me."
"When I go to Portugal, which I try to do every two years or so, I look at what the young women are wearing. European fashion is very forward thinking compared to American fashion. They were wearing skinny jeans and chunky heels before we were."
"You can never choose a dress just by how it looks hanging up. You have to try it on. On the rack, the red dress I wore to this year's Miss Rhode Island pageant looked like nothing special, but when I tried it on [at Sonya's in Cranston], I fell in love with it."
"There was kind of a college uniform on my campus [Roger Williams University]. Girls were always in leggings, a Roger Williams sweatshirt or North Face jacket and Uggs. I wasn't into it."
"I've noticed that women are especially critical of other women. It's less about men and more about us criticizing each other, which is disheartening. As a gender, we need to help pull ourselves up to equality."
http://www.providencejournal.com/article/20151206/ENTERTAINMENTLIFE/151209834