Gabrielle Sturgeon is the next contestant to be featured as part of our series, “The Road to Miss Connecticut’s Outstanding Teen 2018.” She is currently the reigning Miss Nutmeg’s Outstanding Teen 2018, and excited to bring her very best to the MAOTeen CT stage as she competes for this title! Continue reading to learn more about Gabrielle and her journey to the crown!

Tweet

For those who may not be familiar with you, tell our readers a bit about yourself and your background within the pageant world.
I am a Junior attending Granby Memorial High School in Connecticut. One of my biggest passions aside from pageants is Field Hockey! I have been playing since 7th grade, and I am currently in the recruiting process for college, which has been one of my long-time life goals. Field Hockey introduced me to my platform, Cans for Wins, Game on to Fill the Food Banks. My platform encourages everyone to have fun while giving back to their community, and to incorporate sports into filling our food banks! I am so happy that it has been so successful and I am thankful for the Miss America Organization because it has allowed me to have a voice and to spread this platform throughout the state. I’ve been involved in this Miss America Organization for over 7 years, and it has been quite the ride! I started off winning Miss Brass City’s Outstanding Junior in 2011 and continued in 2012 to win the title of Pre-Teen Miss Hartford County. Then in 2014, I became a Connecticut Princess, which really introduced me to the Miss Connecticut pageant and the Outstanding Teen pageant. From then on I have been given the opportunity hold three local titles and with that, I have promoted my platform and the Miss Connecticut’s Outstanding Teen program throughout the state! It’s truly been a blessing!

The four points of the Miss America crown represent: service, scholarship, style, and success. Which one is the most important to you and why?
Although they are all very important to me, I would have to say Scholarship. As a Junior, I am beginning to go through the college process, and it’s even more exciting that I am currently going through an athletic recruiting process! I’m thankful that this amazing organization has gifted me with numerous scholarships so that I can add to the athletic scholarships I may be receiving! This is a scholarship based organization, and it had really taught me the importance of getting a good education and it has pushed me to be the best student and athlete so that I can further my education at a great college!


During Brooke’s reign, what is one characteristic you’ve seen her bring forth as Miss Connecticut’s Outstanding Teen, and which do you hope to emulate if you were to win the title?
She never stops bettering the organization. She works hard to ensure that the Teen program continues to grow.  I have known Brooke for a few years now and her goals have always remained the same. She truly does everything she can, even with being a successful cheerleader! As Miss Connecticut’s Outstanding Teen, I want to be a full-time titleholder, and serve my state just as well as Brooke has! The new winner will have some big shoes to fill, and I hope I am the one filling them!

What have you learned from our current Miss Connecticut, Eliza Lynn Kanner, that can help you be a better outstanding teen?
I have known Eliza since I started competing in this organization, and her passion and kindness has inspired me to be the best ME. Eliza never changed herself for anyone, never changed her looks or her mentality, and that’s something that I will incorporate into my year as Miss Connecticut’s Outstanding Teen. Being yourself and doing things that make you happy is such an important thing to do during your reign, and Eliza portrayed that very well.

Please share with our readers your platform and why you’ve chosen to advocate for it.
My platform is Cans for Wins: Game on to Fill the Food Banks! I was introduced to this concept freshman year of high school, and I was inspired by the impact my field hockey team was making when we donated over 400 canned goods to our local food bank. Basically, we added up our wins from our previous season, and however many wins we had, would be how many cans we would donate each! So I decided to take this idea to the next level as a titleholder and bring awareness to the importance of filling our food banks. I have traveled to several high schools talking about the how they can make a positive impact on their community, and they can have fun while doing it!

If you were to win the title of Connecticut’s Outstanding Teen, how do you hope to better educate your generation about your platform and the importance it holds?
The great thing about my platform is it’s not too specific, anyone can participate! Anyone can fill our food banks; the goal of my platform is to encourage everyone to fill our food banks by proving they can have fun. People can participate by either incorporating this concept into their varsity sport or asking their friends to go play a basketball game just for fun. Getting up and getting active is already one win, and using the Cans for Wins method and helping ME fill our food banks is another!



Tell us about your talent and the decisions you made in proceeding with this talent.
I’ve been a passionate dancer for over 14 years, and 7 of those years I competed! My talent this year is a rhythmic, salsa tap dance to Havana by Linda Eder. I knew that I wanted to portray my personality in my dance, and this was the perfect song for me! It’s fun and upbeat, it really gets the crowd going! I performed this dance last year at Miss Connecticut’s Outstanding Teen, but this year we made some changes to incorporate more intricate footwork and made it showier! I am absolutely in love with it!

Having been in pageants and after winning a local title, what advice do you have for those who want to start competing in the MAO system?
Do it. It’s so worth it. The amount of life lessons I have learned in the seven years I’ve competed in this organization is amazing and I would not be half the women I am today without competing in these pageants. I’ve learned how to balance my life really well, to stay motivated, and to be a kind and genuine person. Being a teen titleholder, a high school student, and an athlete can be very challenging, but thanks to the Miss Connecticut Scholarship organization, I have learned to stay focused on my goals and to stay motivated! When you win a title, you must be prepared to meet thousands of people during your year. Being kind and genuine is so important and it teaches you that kindness can go a long way!

Because of the way media and certain television networks have portrayed the lifestyle of pageantry, there is a preconceived notion of what a pageant girl is like. How do you think that being a part of the Miss America Organization you are able to break that barrier?
I get this question all the time. I am from a very small town in Connecticut, where the only kind of pageants anyone knows of is Toddlers and Tiaras. People are so quick to judge and automatically think I am involved in glitz/beauty pageant. The first thing I say is that the Miss America Organization is the largest provider of scholarship assistance for girls in the U.S. so already with that we are breaking the “pageant girls aren’t smart” stereotype. All of the contestants in the local, state, and national pageants are intelligent, bright young women. The second thing I say is the goal of the MAO is to empower women who will empower each other. A hashtag that is often used by MAO girls is #thesisterhoodisreal, and that is 100% true. I’ve met such inspiring women through this organization, some I know will be my lifelong friends, and they all really bring the best out of me and for that I am thankful. The final point that I bring up is that not only am I titleholder, I am an athlete. Although it’s rare to see someone involved in pageants be involved in sports, it’s my own, unique way, of breaking that stereotype. I am not a size 0, I prefer to wear my hair in a ponytail instead of down and curled, when I am not working to become the next Miss Connecticut’s Outstanding Teen, I’m on the field, and that’s exactly why I joined the Miss America Organization, because it allows me to be me, it accepts me for who I am.

Regardless of who wins the title of Miss Connecticut’s Outstanding Teen, what is one goal which you have for them, which you hope they will accomplish during their reign?
I know if I become the next Miss Connecticut’s Outstanding teen, I am going to bring the pageant all over the state. We are based in the Bristol, Southington, Wolcott, Waterbury area, and after all, it is the Miss Connecticut Pageant. I hope to bring the pageant everywhere so that we can get more girls involved in such an amazing organization.



Bravura is an artistic word for exceptional. What makes you a “bravura” candidate for Miss Connecticut’s Outstanding Teen?
I’ve been in it for so long, I know the ropes. Connecticut needs a titleholder who is genuine, motivated, intelligent, and passionate, and I am all four of those. Connecticut needs someone who is prepared for the Miss America’s Outstanding Teen pageant, and I know I certainly am. Connecticut needs a mature, and thoughtful titleholder, who will input her ideas to better the organization,  and I am that titleholder.

Where can people follow you on social media?
Instagram: @missnutmegot2018, Facebook: Miss Nutmeg’s OT 2018- Gabi Sturgeon.

What final words do you have for the readers of Bravura Magazine and those following you on social media?
Thank you to everyone who has supported me thus far. To everyone who had donated money and cans to support my platform, and to everyone who has donated money to my Children’s Miracle Network page, thank you. I am ecstatic to be competing for the job of Miss Connecticut’s Outstanding Teen, it’s been a dream of mine since 2011. A special thank you to Bravura for giving me this amazing opportunity, and I hope the next time I talk to you, I will be Miss Connecticut’s Outstanding Teen!! #TeamGabi