Miss Chiquitita pageant is bigger

Miss Chiquitita is back, and bigger than before, organizers told pageant parents and sponsors at a press conference at Natives Restaurant in Jackson Heights.
On Thursday, May 3, Miss Chiquitita Co-Presidents Patricia Mahecha and Victoria Schneps-Yunis, President of Schneps Communications, said that the Second-Annual talent pageant will be broken up into several events, culminating in the finale on Sunday, June 24 at the Sheraton LaGuardia East Hotel in Flushing.
The contest will begin on Thursday, May 24, as participants model and display their sportswear at Natives Restaurant.
A second event will be held on Tuesday, June 5 at the Langston Hughes Community Library & Cultural Center in Corona, and on Monday, June 18, a jump-rope tournament will be held, at a location to be selected shortly.
“The idea behind that was to encourage them [contestants] to do exercise,” Mahecha said.
Organizers also announced that 24-year-old Mexican soap-star Geraldine Bazan will help with the pageant. Bazan began acting at age six and has appeared in a number of TV shows in Latin America and Miami, her mother Rosalba Ortiz told the crowd.
More than 500 attendees are expected to cheer on almost 100 pageant participants at the various events this year.
In addition, a number of corporate sponsors, including Modelamos Talent Agency and Dior Spa & Salon in Jackson Heights, will be on hand for the pageant finale at the Sheraton. So far, the Sheraton LaGuardia East, Natives Restaurant, The Queens Courier, El Correo de Queens, and The Daily News have all partnered to promote and host the Miss Chiquitita pageant.
Although most of the contest spots are already filled, organizers are still searching for children ages 13 to 14.
“This is an unforgettable experience,” Mahecha told the crowd gathered at Natives Restaurant in Jackson Heights. She added that the grand-prize winner of Miss Chiquitita in the 13- to 14-year-old category gets a four-year scholarship to any of the City University of New York (CUNY) colleges. “I believe that everyone should follow their dreams.”
Several mothers present at the press conference spoke about their experience last year with Miss Chiquitita.
“I cried when I first saw her in front of everyone,” Maria Guillen said, of seeing her 10-year-old daughter Gabriela Gallego on stage. Although Gallego won “Miss Photogenic” and not the grand prize, Guillen said she would bring her daughter back again this year to compete again.
“For me as mother, we want our daughters to win,” she said.
But at Miss Chiquitita, every contestant is a winner, organizers said, explaining that all the girls, not just the top winners, go home with trophies.
Last year’s winner, 13-year-old Lilliam Uribe praised the pageant for providing her with a college scholarship and the opportunity to take pre-college courses at Plaza College in Jackson Heights as part of prize package. In addition, the poised teen said that Miss Chiquitita helped strengthen her self-esteem and gave her and other young ladies with a productive activity.
“[Self esteem] it can carry through the most difficult times and the most challenging times,” Schneps-Yunis said.
For more information about the pageant, call 718-533-6208 or visit www.misschiquitita.com.