Hammonton’s Miss N.J. gets ready to give up the crown
Posted: Tuesday, June 14, 2016 9:30 pm
This Sunday, Lindsey Giannini will get to do something that she hasn’t been able to do in quite some time.
She will get to create her own schedule for the day.
For the past year, Giannini, of Hammonton, has been participating in pageants, raising awareness about distracted driving, attending special events, taking pictures with admirers and helping others across the state as the 2016 Miss New Jersey.
“It’s absolutely been the fastest year of my life,” Giannini said. “I can’t believe how fast it’s gone.”
A lot of that will change Saturday when she officially passes the tiara to the new Miss New Jersey at the Ocean City Music Pier.
For Giannini, the transition back into a regular schedule and away from life in the spotlight will be bittersweet.
“It will be a little bit of a relief. It will be nice to take some time and take a vacation and have my own schedule,” Giannini said. “But I’m going to miss walking into rooms where people expect you and want to see Miss New Jersey.”
As her time as the reigning Miss New Jersey winds down, Giannini has begun to reflect on some of the moments that made it an unforgettable year for her. Ironically, one of the most memorable moments did not occur in New Jersey.
In October, Giannini crossed state lines and attended a homecoming dance with Marcus Josey, a senior at Northeastern High School who last year was diagnosed with leukemia. Josey, who had to give up playing sports in his final year of high school, reached out to the Miss New Jersey Organization to see if Giannini would be interested in attending the dance.
She accepted.
“It was a fun opportunity to do something for someone else,” Giannini said. “We took a lot of pictures with everyone there, but I also got to talk to (the students) about distracted driving.”
Josey said the event helped him get through one of the toughest parts of his treatment. He is now entering the final stage of treatment and still has hopes to play football at Gettysburg College in the future.
“It was extremely fun,” he said of the dance. “As soon as I met Lindsey, I knew she was down to Earth and just a great person. It meant a lot to me.”
Josey said that his family and Giannini’s family stay in touch. He will be on hand to watch Giannini pass the tiara to the new Miss New Jersey on Saturday.
Other things Giannini loved about being Miss New Jersey were taking pictures with fans on the beach, Boardwalk or around New Jersey and getting to know the other contestants in the Miss New Jersey and Miss America competitions.
One of her fondest memories was helping Miss California dry her clothes with a hair dryer in a hotel room after her luggage got soaked during a plane ride.
This past year, however, was one unlike anyone involved in the Miss New Jersey organization had ever seen. In February, Cara McCollum, Miss New Jersey 2013, died at the age of 24 after a car accident on Route 55 in Salem County.
“It was tragic,” Giannini said, noting that so many people loved McCollum’s personality and sense of humor.
On Saturday at the crowning, the Miss New Jersey Organization will be naming the winner of the first Cara McCollum Memorial Scholarship. Contestants are submitting essays based on the topic of how you can impact the community in a way that will last even when you’re gone.
Giannini said she hopes her platform of combating distracted driving will leave that kind of imprint. But as the sun sets on her reign as Miss New Jersey, the question is: What will she do next?
For starters, she is planning on taking three vacations, including one to Disneyworld. After that, it will be back to school at Rowan University for one more year to rejoin some of her classmates and finish her degree.
“It will be different because I’ve been in the real world with a real schedule,” she said. “It’s given me a new outlook on life.”
After that, she hopes to pursue a career in sports broadcasting. Her two favorite sports are NASCAR auto racing — her boyfriend, Brennan Poole, is a NASCAR driver — and basketball. She is also a Philadelphia Eagles fan.
“I’m knowledgeable in all sports,” Giannini said, laughing. “I think it’s a lot of fun and it makes people happy. Sports reporting can bring people together.”
For a few more days, however, she will enjoy every last second of her time as Miss New Jersey.
“It’s hard. They say you feel it that week; the spotlight begins to dim,” she said. “But I’m excited for someone else to have a chance and experience all the great things that I got to.”
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/missamerica/hammonton-s-miss-n-j-gets-ready-to-give-up/article_889cf378-3272-11e6-baea-2f1818253ea2.html
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