The next contestant to be featured as part of our series, "The Road to Miss Massachusetts," is Chrissy Sardano, the reigning Miss Commonwealth. Continue reading to learn more about Chrissy, her platform, and her road to the crown!

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Please share with our readers your title & platform.
I am Miss Commonwealth 2017! My platform is Peer2Peer:Creating Positive Interactions in Schools.

How long have you competed in pageants? How do you think you’ve personally grown with all your prior pageant experience?
I have been competing in pageants since age 12.  I began competing in the Miss America system when I was 16 years old. I have always been an outgoing and energetic person, but when I first began pageants I didn’t have much experience speaking in front of crowds. Throughout my years of competition I have been able to take something away from each pageant (and that is not necessarily always a crown). With every competition, my speaking skills and my ability to convey my ideas in a coherent manner has grown. Today I enjoy speaking in front of crowds, and in one-on-one settings. My confidence has skyrocketed. Through pageants I also feel like I have found a purpose, advocating for something that holds a special place in my heart.

In regards to your platform, why did you choose to go with this particular one?
I experienced severe verbal, emotional, and physical bullying, in addition to alienation and discrimination throughout my years in middle and high school. I was bullied over the things that make me unique as a human being. I have been bullied on my physical characteristics such as my very petite hands and the distinct way I walk down the stairs, to my religion and my cultural heritage… and everything in between. I know first hand how debilitating it is to experience this as a developing child/ young adult, and the effect it has on self-identity and confidence. It is especially detrimental when the bullying manifests as “silent bullying,” which I define as discrimination, isolation, alienation, racism, and cyber-bullying. Unfortunately, bullying statistics are exponentially increasing with time. And along with these bullying incidents, the rates of poor mental health and self-harm and suicide are following suit. In order to stymie these statistics it is crucial to strengthen the anti-bullying movement, especially by providing increased efforts to do so in schools. It is important to tackle bullying at a young age when children are impressionable and are developing their personalities and morals. If not ended early in life, the cycle of bullying just continues and manifests in other ways in adulthood. Grown child bullies are more likely to bully their work peers, cause unhealthy and abusive relationships, and end up teaching and passing down their bad traits of bullying to their own children. The time to really work on decreasing these statistics is now, before they can rise anymore. I plan to be the voice for those who have been silenced by silent bullying. I plan to use my ability to fund-raise for bullying prevention and victim coping organizations, to share my personal story of overcoming obstacles through finding positive creative outlets, and to encourage the acceptance of diversity in our peers.

How has working alongside your platform made you into a stronger person?
By sharing my own story with those around me I have been able to see the impact that encouraging words can make. I have shared my story with the various classes in schools that I have visited in the hopes of inspiring other victims to understand how to overcome what they may be currently going through. It is also important to stress to children to continue to follow their dreams and achieve personal goals.This helps to deter the negative effect of bullying.  I am always inspired by the stories of others as well, and the determination of many of our youth to speak up and do something about the bullying that they witness. By being a positive role-model in my community, I have found the strength that I had been missing for so many years and it is my goal to pass on this strength to those around me.

What have you learned from your current Miss Massachusetts, which you hope to carry with you if you were to win the title of Miss Massachusetts?
Alissa is unapologetic-ally herself and is one of the most genuine people I have ever met. She is not afraid to be her true self and shatter the typical pageant stereotypes that pageant girls are placed into. From what I have observed she is truly passionate about her platform and its effects on the community. Her platform is personally meaningful and you can sense how important it is to her. I applaud how involved she is and everything she has done promoting this organization– and I’ve only known her for a couple of months!!

As a title-holder, what is one of the single-most important messages, which you think you convey to your followers?
No matter how many times someone says that you can’t do something, you can!! And as cliche as it sounds, the only thing you have to do is put in your all. As a titleholder, I hope to convey to my followers that it is never too early to start making a difference or to positively impact those
surrounding you.

If you were to win the title of Miss Massachusetts, what is the one thing which you would strive the hardest to accomplish?
As Miss Massachusetts, I will strive to utilize the resources made available to me to make schools a safe environment for all students. The main component of my platform is establishing diversity acceptance, in addition to promoting the positive effects of students finding and recognizing a personal interest that can provide a meaningful influence on their lives.

Imagine you’re competing for Miss America, and your roommate has never visited Massachusetts; how would you describe your state to your roommate?
Massachusetts: The land of the infinite Dunkin Donuts locations, birthplace of so much rich American history and oodles of diehard major league sports fans. Massachusetts is not all Baahhhston, ya know? There are many other thriving cities located in the beautiful foliage of the Western Mass region–and you can’t visit the state without traveling down to the Atlantic ocean or the famous Cape. We may not be the best drivers, but are all pretty wicked smaht.

If you could place three items in a time capsule, which represent the women of today, what would they be and why?
I would include a textbook, because more women are receiving higher education and degrees than at any other time in history. A pant suit, signifying the growing leadership of women in companies and high CEO positions (also as a nod to the jobs that women had previously been ineligible for). And a sign from the Women’s March movement, showcasing the solidarity of women from varying backgrounds, religions, and cultures, who all came together to champion feminism and other causes, acting as a unifying and strong force to enact change.

Because of media, many people tend to look at pageant with a very scrutinizing opinion; For you. personally, what have been some of the biggest benefits of being a part of the Miss America Organization. And how would you share the positive nature of pageants with others who may not be Familiar?
As crazy as it may sound, I certainly have come across many pageant naysayers. It is safe to say that after speaking to them about the numerous benefits and impacts that pageantry has had on my own life, they have all subsequently changed their opinions. Pageant girls are strong leaders in their community truly trying to make a difference, just with a little added sparkle. It takes immense strength, determination, confidence and leadership skills to stand with poise in a formal gown one moment, strut the runway with confidence in a bikini, and transition ever so gracefully into speaking eloquently  about politics, pop-culture, current events and other opinion based questions in front of an audience.

“Bravura” is an artistic word for exceptional; in your opinion, what makes you “bravura”?
My ability to never give up and my ability to turn obstacles into opportunities to thrive is what makes me exceptional. My participation in pageants is due in part, and is further fueled by my desire to take the negative circumstances surrounding my early bullying, and to turn them into a positive by impacting future generations with my personal platform.

Where can fans follow you on social media?
On Facebook: Miss Commonwealth 2017, Chrissy Sardano
https://www.facebook.com/misscommonwealth2017.csardano/
On Instagram: chrissysardano

What advice do you have for those who want to take part in pageants?
Take the leap of faith, you won’t believe how many positive effects will come as a result–and not just in your pageant competitions. This will reflect in other aspects of your life as well. If you take that first step of getting outside of your comfort zone, or are trying something new, you will truly grow as a person. But be ready to work!! Pageants are not all sparkles and fancy dresses! There is a lot of dedication and work that you must be ready to commit to. The most important thing to remember though is to pick a platform that you are truly passionate about. When you relate personally to your advocacy it makes your job so much easier– fundraising and events are more fun. Knowing that you are making an impact in something you truly care about is the part that is the most rewarding.

What words of thanks do you have for those who have helped to bring you to where you are today in the Miss Massachusetts Class of 2017?
I am absolutely astonished by the amount of love and support that I have been shown in my entire pageant journey. From my amazing “momager” and pageant dad, my entire family, my friends here at BU and my NY and MA pageant family—Thank you doesn’t even begin to explain my gratitude for all of you and your presence in my life. I would also like to thank the entire Miss NY organization, specifically the Miss Finger Lakes Organization, for providing me the foundation as Miss Upstate New York’s Outstanding Teen; the experience that jump-started the beginning of my Miss America journey. Finally, I would like to thank the other fellow queens of the MA class of 2017. This is my first “miss” title in my newly adopted state of Massachusetts and they have welcomed me with open arms into the Massachusetts family! I can not thank you guys enough for adopting me as a new Massachusettsian (and thank you for acquainting me with the local dialect).

What final words do you have for the readers of Bravura Magazine?
CELEBRATE WHAT MAKES YOU UNIQUE!! “DON’T EVER LET ANYONE DULL YOUR INNER SPARKLE”