• Miss USA Pageant: Burlington's Whitney Sharpe represents state with style

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  Whitney Sharpe, a lifelong resident of Burlington and BHS 2013 graduate, competed in the Miss USA Pageant June 5. COURTESY PHOTO
  

  

  
• By Chris Warren 
  chwarren@wickedlocal.com

  
  Posted Jun. 14, 2016 at 3:05 PM
  Updated at 4:17 PM 
  
  BURLINGTON

  In many homes in Burlington, all eyes were glued to the television June 5.

  That is when the Miss USA Pageant aired live from Las Vegas and when Burlington resident Whitney Sharpe represented Massachusetts.

  Since the pageant began in 1952, there have been 65 Miss Massachusetts USA titleholders. Of those, 14 were semifinalists, and two went on to win the Miss USA title.

  Sharpe’s mother Ellen Sharpe said June 6 that a large contingent of relatives and friends traveled to Las Vegas to support Whitney. They included herself, Whitney's father Frank Sharpe, a cousin from Arlington, her uncle and aunt from California, cousins from New York and her best friend and her mother from Reading.

  Ellen said parents had free seats on the floor near the stage and she and her husband sat 10 rows from the front. She described the experience as “amazing” and she enjoyed watching her daughter practice during rehearsals in the week leading up to the pageant.

  When it came to being in the audience during the pageant, Ellen said, “Seeing her on stage, Whitney was so beautiful and so confident.”

  As the semifinalists (the top 15 contestants) were named, Miss Massachusetts was not called, to the disappointment of many.

  However, Whitney seemed to take the news in stride, as she was seen on television, beaming, as she exited the stage with other contestants who did not make the top 15 but participated in the evening gown segment ensemble.

  According to her mother, after the pageant, Whitney said, “This is the best experience in my life.”

  Whitney is due back in Burlington this week, where she will continue to reign as Miss Massachusetts 2016, making appearances across the state as a spokesperson, host and guest speaker. This fall, she will be a senior at Lynn University, located in Boca Raton, Florida, where she is studying broadcast journalism, fashion and retail management.

  In an interview with the Burlington Union published in January, Whitney was asked, “Why is the Miss Massachusetts competition and title important to you?

  Her response was, “I am able to further my community service, which is close to my heart, with the title of Miss Massachusetts USA. It is also opening up doors for my career in the fashion and entertainment industry as an on-air host. When I graduate from college, my dream job is to be on the E! Network, although just being on TV where I can speak about what is going on would be incredible.”

  Based on some of the success stories published on missmassachusettsusa.com Sharpe is on the right track to accomplish her goals.

For instance, Jackie Bruno, Miss Massachusetts USA 2008, graduated from Boston University with a degree in broadcast journalism. She is a news anchor on New England Cable News (NECN).

Latoyia (Foster) Edwards, who is Miss Massachusetts USA 2002, graduated from Emerson College with a degree in broadcast journalism. She too is a news anchor on NECN.

Maria Menounos competed in the Miss Massachusetts USA 2000 and came in first runner-up. She is an actress and TV host, most known as co-anchor of "Extra" from 2011 to 2014 and current co-anchor of E! News.

http://burlington.wickedlocal.com/news/20160614/miss-usa-pageant-burlingtons-whitney-sharpe-represents-state-with-style