PORTLAND, Maine – Four local young women captured pageant titles at the 14th annual Maine Academic Scholarship Pageant and 15th annual Green Carpet Fundraiser Event for Crossroads Youth Center.
Held Sept, 19 at the DoubleTree hotel in Portland, nearly 100 Maine women, infants, and young ladies vied for their respective titles to compete internationally for over $300K in prizes and scholarships at the American Women of Service International Pageant next June.
Local pageant winners were Lucy Romanelli, Lauren Tucker, Riley Prince and Bailey Soucy.
During their reign, the new titleholders will be able to represent the Crown CARES
(Creating a Respectful Environment in Schools and Society) in Maine Schools and community events, bringing awareness to social issues, kindness, and acceptance. If you would like a visit from one of our titleholders, please visit our website.
Riley Prince was crowned the Young American Women Of Service 2023 Miss Maine Teen.
(Photo credit: Mandy McQueen Photography)
Prince, 17, was crowned the Young American Women Of Service 2023 Miss Maine Teen. She is a senior at Central Aroostook High School and the secretary of her National Honors Society chapter. Prince is a two-sport varsity athlete participating in both cheerleading and softball.
Along with the state title, Prince earned the gold Presidential and overall interview award. She enjoys volunteering and giving back to the community every chance she gets. She has a personal platform called Read With Me that builds strong readers and eliminates bullying. Prince works to promote Crown Cares and provide free reading materials to children. She previously held the Miss Maine Jr. Teen title in 2020. Prince is the daughter of Seth and Jennifer Prince.
Bailey Soucy was crowned the 2023 Maine Young American Women of Service Young Teen. (Photo credit: Mandy McQueen Photography)
Soucy, 12, was crowned the 2023 Maine Young American Women of Service Young Teen. She is a seventh-grader at Houlton Middle-High School. Soucy has enjoyed studying dance at Houlton School of Dance for eight years. She was awarded the Gold Presidential Award, Crown CARES award, and Spokesmodel Award, along with the state title.
Soucy has received six Presidential Awards for her community service hours. She enjoys giving back to the community through community services and promoting Crown CARES. Soucy previously held the titles of 2018 Miss Maine Princess, 2021 Miss Maine Preteen, and 2021 Young American Women of Service International Preteen. A dedicated pageant contender, this is her third state title with Crossroads, and she will compete for her second international title in June. She is the daughter of Lori Soucy of Houlton.
Lauren Tucker was crowned American Women of Service Miss Pine Tree Ambassador.
(Photo credit: Mandy McQueen Photography)
Tucker, 10, was crowned American Women of Service Miss Pine Tree Ambassador. She is a fifth-grader at Houlton Southside School. She enjoys playing softball with the Houlton area Little League. Tucker is a member of the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians. She enjoys giving back to her community by volunteering in various ways to promote the Crown CARES values. She is the daughter of David and Crystal Tucker of Houlton.
Romanelli, 8, was crowned the 2023 Maine Young American Women of Service Elementary Princess. She is a third-grader at Houlton Southside School. She participates in jazz at the Houlton School of Dance as well as cheer and intermediate tumbling at All-Star Gymnastics. She enjoys participating in community events, volunteering and promoting the Crown CARES. She is the daughter of Jamieson and Sharon Romanelli of Houlton. First runner up was Emilina Rea.
American Women Pageants, a program of Crossroads Youth Center, was founded to empower all females across the country to become the best version of themselves through service. The mission is to encourage youth to serve in their communities and to create a positive, encouraging, and empowering sisterhood of youth and teens who are interested in motivating others through community and civic involvement as positive role models through service. The service platform is to promote and educate the community about bullying prevention, social awareness, and positive social behaviors at any age and in all areas of life.
The Maine pageant has been named in the top two state pageants and top two state directorships going to executive director and Crossroads president Deb Landry in the United States. American Women of Service, in its seventh year, a program of Crossroads, was named in the top ten programs for women and is led and founded by Executive Director Jasmine DeRier. International and state pageants have been honored with the best prize package in pageantry for several years.
