Occupation: I'm a customer service desk representative for Caraluzzi's Newtown Market, and a 2011 graduate of Newtown High School. And I'm a pageant expert extraordinaire - that's a little joke with my friends. I'll be going to Savannah C
Occupation: Iâm a customer service desk representative for Caraluzziâs Newtown Market, and a 2011 graduate of Newtown High School. And Iâm a pageant expert extraordinaire â thatâs a little joke with my friends. Iâll be going to Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia this fall. Iâm currently the reigning Miss Teen Connecticut-World 2011. Iâm getting ready for Nationals in Houston, Texas, and hopefully will go on to compete against girls all over the world.
Family: My mom, Renee Olson, is an accountant at PwC [PricewaterhouseCoopers] in Stamford. I have a little sister, Claire, who is going to be a junior at Newtown High School in the fall.
Pets: I have a cocker spaniel named Jenny. Ruby is a Welsh Corgi. And I have two pets most people donât have in their home by choice: rats. Their names are Izzy and Tilly, and they are hooded rats. They have black heads and white bodies, and are about one year old. Theyâre very sweet.
How long have you lived in Newtown? We moved here right before New Year of 2001. I was in the second grade.
What do you like to do in your free time? I love to horseback ride. I used to be a competitive jumper. I also design and make dresses, and I like to play the card game Magic: The Gathering. Iâm getting really good at it. I read, and I go to movies, too.
Do you have a favorite movie? Miss Congeniality, for sure. Sandra Bullock was hilarious, and it portrays pageants so accurately and so wrongly, at the same time.
Do you have a favorite vacation spot? Iâm moving to my favorite vacation spot when I go to college â the beaches of Savannah, Georgia.
What do you like best about pageants? I got a letter in the mail saying that they were looking for girls to compete in the Miss Teen Connecticut USA pageant when I was 13, and Iâve been competing since. I love dresses, and itâs been a great mother/daughter bonding thing for me.
What is the best thing about Newtown? I love that Newtown has a very homey atmosphere. Everyone is so close here and welcoming. I love how the town feels when you drive through it.
Who do you most admire? I look up to my grandmother. She died when I was just 6 years old, but I know that she pushed through an era when women werenât accepted into the workforce. But she ended up becoming a college professor. That has encouraged me to go above and beyond my dreams.
Do you have a personal philosophy? Itâs a Mae West quote: âYou only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.â It reminds me that everything I do has to be important, and not to have small dreams. I go for the big goals because Iâm going to live this one life right.
What makes you happiest? Knowing that the people around me are safe and content. Being able to wrap myself up in a comforter with a good book, and not having to worry about anyone or anything makes me happiest. Or just lying on a beach.