Say hello to Miss Pioneer Valley Teen, Wilbraham & Monson Academy’s Marina Hall ’28.

Even though she initially had no interest in entering, Marina earned her crown at the Miss Western Massachusetts Pageant at Holyoke Community College on Oct. 11.

“I didn't have any feeling that I was going to win, but I felt really confident about everything I did,” said Marina, the youngest competitor in the field. “I didn't think all of the categories would go as well as they did, and I don't think I could've done any better.”

The contestants had to endure five categories: private interview, on-stage question, talent, fitness and evening gown. 

“I was most concerned about the on-stage question because I am not that good at speaking in front of an audience and that is not something I like to do,” Marina admitted. “The question was based off of our community service initiatives that we wrote, but we did not know what the question was going to be.” 

For the talent portion, Marina stuck to her strength as she performed a tap dance. She said her many years of dance experience helped in various ways during the pageant.

“I do think being a dancer helped with my stage presence and making a connection with the judges,” she said. “I had also done a few on-stage questions for dance competitions in the past, which helped for the speaking portion of the competition. I definitely do think the results would have been different without my dance experience.”

As Miss Pioneer Valley Teen, Marina will be expected to participate in a number of community events during the next year. She will also implement her community service initiative, which is directly tied to her interests at WMA.

“Each contestant created a community service initiative that they would follow through with if they were chosen,” Marina explained. “Using my education on financial literacy from our CEEF department, I was inspired to create my community service initiative based off of the knowledge I have because many schools in the U.S. do not offer CEEF classes like WMA. My goal for this year is to introduce kids to the basics of financial planning. I am going to travel to schools and youth organizations with a presentation on the importance of basic financial literacy.”

Marina is now eligible to compete in the Miss Massachusetts Pageant, which will take place in June.