Newark resident Yesenia Franco, 19, was one of approximately 300 contestants in this year’s Miss California Pageant.

Never a fan prior to her pageant entry, Franco was told about it by a friend last summer and saw it as an opportunity to build more confidence in herself as well as earn scholarships.

As a student of fashion design at the Academy of Arts in San Francisco, Franco also saw it as a good opportunity to expand her knowledge on fashion.

The Newark pageant contestant made some preparations in the months leading up to the beauty competition. She worked out regularly to stay in shape and took classes to perfect her walk in high heels.

As a citizen of Newark, a city with a population of approximately 45,000 people, Franco found it interesting to suddenly be competing with women from bigger, well-known cities such as Los Angeles and San Diego.

“Everyone thought I was from Newark, New Jersey,” she said. “Everyone was [asking] me ‘Where is it?’ and ‘I don’t recognize this city.’ I had to explain to them where it was, that it was 45 minutes away from San Francisco.”

However, Franco believed it was a good opportunity to get to know some of the other contestants.

The pageant was held from Jan. 6 to 8 at the McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert.  

Because of the large number of talented young women competing in the competition, the judges’ task was to narrow the numerous contestants down to the top 20, then to the top 10 and eventually the top five.

While the first day involved interviews for each contestant, the remaining days were filled with modeling bathing suits and gowns.

For Franco, the difficult part about the pageant was walking in high heels and being in front of a lot of people.

“I’ve always avoided the spotlight so it was my first time doing anything like that,” she said.

The easiest part turned out to be the interview, which she admitted she was very nervous about.

“It was fashion-related so they asked me who my favorite fashion designer is and all that so it was crazy,” she said.

The interviews varied from contestant to contestant. While some were asked very serious questions, Franco was asked questions based on her status as a fashion design major.
Franco discussed how she learned from her fellow contestants.

“Everyone was really friendly. It wasn’t really competitive and everyone was helping me out; giving me tips on how to stand and do my make-up,” she explained. “I told them it was my first time and for other girls, it was like their fourth time competing […] In three days, I met so many girls.”

The winner of this year’s pageant was Natalie Pack of Newport Beach. When asked about her reaction about the winner, Franco went on to praise her, saying she really deserves it.

“I was a little surprised because she was really quiet during rehearsal but I think she was really pretty,” she said. “She actually competed in ‘America’s Next Top Model’ [as] a finalist. Everyone noticed that her walk was really unique, like a model.”

Though she did not take home the win, Franco is considering entering in the pageant again next year.  She found her first time competing to be a worthwhile learning experience on how to control her emotions and talk in front of people.  

After all is said and done, she is much more confident now and believes she’ll do better next time.

As for advice for other women interested in entering, Franco suggested staying healthy, work out, practice by recording yourself walking and talking and practice in front of a mirror.

“Most of the girls who made it in the top 20 practiced in front of a mirror; they worked out five days a week,” she said. “Also get a pageant coach. They’ll tell you exactly what you’re doing wrong or right.”