By Geena Monahan—For the North Star Reporter
A year ago, Serena DaRosa and Noelle O’Hanlon, two 16-year-old rising juniors at Bishop Feehan High School, were discussing the world of beauty pageants in their sophomore theology class.
This Sunday, June 22, the pair hailing from North Attleborough will share the stage at the Hanover Theater in Worcester, competing for the title of Miss Massachusetts Teen.
DaRosa and O’Hanlon will join 15 other competitors from across Massachusetts, but agree that the pageant is more of a celebration of friendship and camaraderie.
“One of the four points of the crown is sisterhood, and I couldn’t find that to be more true,” said O’Hanlon. “Some of my best friends were made in the organization, and I think a lot of that has to do with all of us sharing similar values.”
O’Hanlon—who holds the title of Miss Boston’s Teen—comes from a long line of pageant winners, even competing at last year’s Miss Massachusetts Teen while one of her sisters vied for the Miss Massachusetts crown. Their mother competed in pageants years ago and was formerly crowned as Miss Greater Attleboro.
“I’m feeling so, so excited,” said O’Hanlon. “I’ve been preparing since roughly February, so I’m so excited to finally take the stage.
DaRosa is newer to the organization, first competing in a Miss Day of Portugal pageant last year before deciding to join the Miss America organization. This will be her first time competing at Miss Massachusetts Teen after securing her spot by winning the Miss Commonwealth Teen title at a local Miss Bay State competition in early April.
“I’m feeling excited, also a little nervous, because it’s my first time at the state level and the other girls have already gone through the entire process,” said DaRosa. “It’s very different from the local pageants that I’ve done”
Both teens must choose a community service initiative in order to compete for the title of Miss Massachusetts Teen, and each picked a cause they’ve been passionate about for years. O’Hanlon works with her family’s non-profit organization, Sisters at Heart, to focus on conquering congenital heart diseases. O’Hanlon’s sister, Scarlett, was born with a congenital heart defect for which she has undergone two surgeries to try and correct, and is preparing for a third open heart surgery.
“I’m able to work with them (Sisters at Heart) along with other organizations like the American Heart Association, It’s My Heart New England and the Children’s Heart Foundation to improve the lives of those born with congenital heart defects,” said O’Hanlon. “It’s really close to home.”
DaRosa began volunteering for the Special Olympics when she entered high school, so it seemed a natural step to choose the “Striving for Inclusion” program as her community service. As an athlete who plays soccer, softball and competes on the swim and dive team, DaRosa knows firsthand the positive impact playing sports can have on a person’s life.
“I think everyone should have the opportunity to compete in sports; it’s been such a big aspect of my life and the Special Olympics creates teams for people of all abilities,” said DaRosa.
Although the teens won’t take the stage until Sunday, the interview portion of the competition starts on Saturday. DaRosa noted this can be the most stressful part of the weekend because the competitors can’t prepare for the questions in advance.
For the talent segment, DaRosa and O’Hanlon chose to go the musical route. DaRosa, who started singing in seventh-grade chorus at North Attleborough Middle School, will perform “A Moment Like This” by Kelly Clarkson, a song she described as “fitting” for her first time ever on the stage at a state-level competition. To DaRosa, having plenty of time to prepare for the song takes a lot of the pressure off.
O’Hanlon, a classically trained pianist, will perform Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Partitas,” which she described as an opportunity she’s been working hard for and is looking forward to.
“I feel like there’s limited opportunities as a classical pianist to be able to actually play,” said O’Hanlon. “There’s a lot of behind the scenes practice each day, but being able to share my talent on stage has always been one of my favorite things to do.”
At the end of the day, both DaRosa and O’Hanlon are excited to spend a weekend cheering on their fellow competitors that have become family over the many years on stage. According to DaRosa, there’s actually “little to no competitiveness” within the environment that instead fosters friendship and inclusiveness.
“It’s so much more than what people think it is. Everyone thinks it’s just a beauty pageant and you’re judged based off of how you look, but it’s completely the opposite of that,” said DaRosa. “I’ve learned so many skills by doing it, and I’ve met all of my best friends by competing in these pageants.”
O’Hanlon echoed the support DaRosa spoke of, expressing how happy she feels knowing that the teacher who presided over the class that brought the pair together will be in attendance this weekend.
“North Attleborough and Bishop Feehan are so proud to have two competitors that my theology teacher is coming to cheer us on, if that gives you any insight into how supportive the community is,” said O’Hanlon.
“Hopefully Noelle or I can bring the crown back to North Attleborough,” said DaRosa. “It’s definitely comforting to have a support system in my town and school.”