By Christine Barcia
Staff Writer
Nina Mojares wants people to know there is a lot more to pageants than beauty. Nina, who was recently crowned Miss New Jersey Outstanding Teen 2016, said scholastic achievement and talent are emphasized over physical attributes.
“Miss America is positive. It celebrates talent and achievements. Pageants are not beauty competitions,” said Nina, who is a resident of Freehold Township.
The Miss New Jersey Outstanding Teen pageant is linked to the Miss America Organization through the Miss New Jersey Education Foundation.
Nina, 17, is a junior in the Freehold Regional High School District’s Global Studies Learning Center at Freehold Township High School, where her studies focus on current affairs and public speaking. She previously won the title of Miss Monmouth County Outstanding Teen 2015.
Nina started competing about two years ago at the urging of her mother, Jeanette Mojares.
“I wanted Nina to join Miss Outstanding Teen. I liked their organization, the scholastic achievement. It builds young women to become more confident with public speaking. It is a voice for younger women,” Mojares said.
Nina, like her father, Dennis Mojares, was hesitant at first. He said, “I did a lot of research about Miss America and found the organization really promotes intelligence, education and scholarship.”
Nina also learned that competitions have a lot to offer.
“We are ambassadors of good will,” the young woman said.
Prize money for college was another factor that drew Nina into competitions. Winning, she said, has been an “overwhelming and exciting” experience. It has been the result of “really hard work,” according to Nina.
For the talent portion of the Miss New Jersey Outstanding Teen 2016 competition, Nina sang and played the piano. Her performance resulted in the highest score for the overall talent portion.
Paul Sallee, Nina’s piano and singing instructor at Music University, Freehold Township, has known of her musical talent for many years.
“It is easy to teach her. She absorbs so much,” Sallee said, adding that he has been giving Nina a weekly piano lesson since she was 9 years old.
Sallee said the arrangement that was chosen for the competition “highlighted Nina’s singing and in between her piano skills came through.”
Sallee is also the director of Nina’s five-member band, All The Stops. The young woman’s other talents include playing guitar and Latin ballroom dancing.
Another area of the competition that Nina is passionate about is her platform: building resilient communities – youth empowerment.
“I focus on victims affected by natural disaster. I was influenced by superstorm Sandy and typhoon Haiyan (in the Philippines), where I have family members who were affected. I used my talents to help them,” Nina said.
Nina has raised more than $70,000 by organizing and performing at fundraisers for superstorm Sandy, typhoon Haiyan, Relay for Life, the Make-A-Wish Foundation and more. Last summer, as an extension of her platform, Nina traveled to Honduras with several of her peers for a week to help build schools for underprivileged children.
“Volunteering is a major part of my life. Since the age of 9, I have taken every opportunity to volunteer. I feel a responsibility to teach teens in my generation to reach out and volunteer in the community,” Nina said.
Her favorite part of the competition is “meeting other girls” and her least favorite part is “the pressure.”
“The panel of judges can be intimidating,” Nina said.
She describes the day of a pageant as “long and tiring,” including an eight-minute interview that covers a contestant’s resume, platform and knowledge of current events, such as the presidential election.
Encouragement from family and friends, Nina said, has been important every step of the way. She said her brother, Christian, 11, is also a “big supporter.”
Next up for Nina is the national title competition. She will represent New Jersey as she competes for a prize of $25,000 against 51 other contestants in the Miss America Outstanding Teen 2016 competition in Orlando, Fla., in August.
“I feel a responsibility to represent New Jersey teens and inspire others,” Nina said.