6 candidates for Miss Marianas, 4 for Miss Marianas Teen

• 
• 

25 Apr 2016

 

By Raquel C. Bagnol - raquel@mvariety.com - Variety News Staff

TEN young ladies will vie for two crowns in the combined Miss Marianas and Miss Marianas Teen pageant which will be held in Hibiscus Hall at the Fiesta Resort & Spa on Saturday, July 16, 2016.

Six candidates will take part in the 2016 Miss Marianas pageant and four have signed up for the 2016 Miss Marianas Teen pageant.

Stellar Marianas, the islands’ nonprofit pageant and talent group, is hosting the event.

“We are super excited to have our Miss Marianas Teen contestants on stage with our Miss Marianas contestants to learn from and support each other — this is a historic moment worthy of two crowns,” Stellar Marianas community events director Myra Capilitan said.

“All in all, the CNMI has been in pageantry for over 40 years and Stellar Marianas celebrates 10 years of empowering our young women and showcasing their incredible beauty, intelligence, talent and dedication to the world,” Capilitan added.

The contestants made their first formal appearance in a press conference/photo shoot session at Fiesta Resort & Spa on Saturday morning.

The 2016 Miss Marianas Teen Pageant contestants are:

• Palanga Tiara B. Taimanao, 16 years old, a junior at Dr. Rita H. Inos Jr.-Sr. High School and daughter of Elphrain S. and Cecile Blas Taimanao;

• Jyawnna Joyner, 16 years old, a sophomore at Saipan Southern High School and her guardian is Aurelia Kretzer;

• Nicole Q. Myers, 16 years old, a sophomore at Marianas High School and daughter of Regino M. and Candace Q. Celis; and,

• Alexandra L. Lee-Sang, 16 years old, a junior at Saipan International School and daughter of David Lee-Sang and Wendi Herring."

2016 MISS MARIANAS TEEN CONTESTANTS ALEXANDRA LEE-SANG, NICOLE Q. MYERS, PALANGA TIARA B. TAIMANAO AND JYAWNNA JOYNER WITH 2016 MISS MARIANAS CONTESTANTS PEACHY JOSIFYNN QUITIGUA, MARIEBELL Q. ALDAN, MARICRIS R. ZAPANTA, , JOANNA MARIE G. NAVARRO, FRANCINE B. SABLAN, ANGELYN D. LABADAN AND 2015 MISS MARIANAS JIAN JOYNER. PHOTO BY RAQUEL C. BAGNOL

The 2016 Miss Marianas contestants are:

• Angelyn D. Labadan, 18 years old, a freshman at Northern Marianas College majoring in liberal arts, and daughter of Willy Labadan and Asun Demapan;

• Maricris R. Zapanta, 23 years old, a sophomore at Northern Marianas College, a security officer at Best Sunshine Live, and daughter of Jerry and Cristeta Zapanta;

• Mariebell Q. Aldan, 19 years old, a graduate of Saipan Southern High School, a games table dealer at Best Sunshine Live and daughter of Leonardo Soriano and Rosario Q. Aldan;

• Peachy Josifynn Quitigua, 21 years old, a senior at Northern Marianas College, graduating this May with an associate of science in nursing, and daughter of Rep. Vinson F. Sablan and Roca Q. Sablan;

• Joanna Marie G. Navarro, 20 years old, a senior at Northern Marianas College, graduating this May with a degree in hospitality management, and daughter of Jonathan Navarro and Marita Bacolot; and,

• Francine B. Sablan, 20 years old, a senior at Northern Marianas College, a liberal arts major, a receptionist and dental assistant at Dental Care and the daughter of Franklin and Sandra Sablan.

During the press conference, the contestants said they joined the pageant to boost their confidence and to be able to have a chance to present different programs to make the community a better place to live in.

2015 Miss Marianas Jian Joyner will crown the 50th beauty queen to hold the title since the NMI began holding the pageant.

Stellar Marianas president Laila Y. Boyer said they offer an experience beyond pageantry in which young women can learn valuable skills such as public speaking, receive media training, experience role modeling, gain familiarity with current issues and develop social platforms.

Boyer said 2015 Miss Marianas Jian Joyner’s platform is education and empowerment and she recently held a mini-workshop with 30 young women from three different high schools to discuss self-reliance and developing a community project.

This year’s pageant theme is Nautical Chic, “a modern celebration of our ocean, its resources and beauty.”

“We are people of the ocean and we wanted to capture the majestic influence it has over our lives — the imagery, photos, stage and show design are going to take your breath away,” Capilitan said.

Stellar Marianas is also starting to secure its official major sponsors for the year and welcomes TRESemmé from D&Q International Distributors as the official hair product for this year’s Miss Marianas and Miss Marianas Teen pageants.

For more information, visit www.facebook.com/stellarmarianas or email stellarqueens@gmail.com.

http://www.mvariety.com/cnmi/cnmi-news/local/85651-6-candidates-for-miss-marianas-4-for-miss-marianas-teen