At the historic St. George Theatre in Staten Island, New York, a group of 29 girls from all over the state came together last week to compete for the title of Miss New York.

Among the competitors were two Syracuse University students, Jessica Brosofsky and Meghan Sinisi. All of the girls had to win a local pageant before advancing to the state finals, where they spent six days rehearsing and performing.

The girls competed not only for the title, but also for scholarship money and a chance to compete at the Miss America pageant on Sept. 13.

“It’s really just a great life experience that I can use later in life, and I love to perform,” said Brosofsky, a junior policy studies and international relations dual major.

To enter, each competitor had to submit a resume and create a platform. They were then judged based on five sections: an interview with a panel of seven judges, a swimwear round, an evening gown round, an onstage question and a talent portion.

Brosofsky competed under the local title, “Miss Onondaga County.” Brosofksy’s father is in the military, so she has moved five times before coming to Syracuse. She wanted to represent the area she lived in, so when she won a local pageant and was able to choose her title, she decided on Miss Onondaga County because Miss Syracuse was already taken.

Brosofsky said that despite it being a very long week, she had a lot of fun and the girls were nothing like she expected.

“You would think that these girls would be catty because we are all competing against each other –– not at all the case. It was like another sisterhood,” said Brosofsky, who is the president of the Syracuse chapter of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority.

 

Brosofky’s platform was titled, “What matters today, creating an informed generation.” She has a background in debate, which, in part, inspired her to take part in the pageant.

Brosofsky was mentored by fellow SU student Allie Curtis, who was crowned Miss Rhode Island two weeks ago. The two met through SU’s Student Association when Curtis was the president of SA. Curtis encouraged Brosofsky to participate this year.

Known on the SU campus as the “Orange Girl” for her performances alongside the marching band at games and events, Meghan Sinisi, a junior communication sciences and disorders major, performed baton twirling as her talent. She competed under the title “Miss Liberty.”

Although neither of the girls won the title of Miss New York, Brosofsky said that she learned a lot while having fun (at the pageant).

Brosofksy has yet to decide whether she will compete in the Miss America pageant again. She said she would consider trying to be Miss Syracuse, so she can use the title to get more involved in the community.

“A lot of people don’t understand why I decided to do the pageant, and they don’t understand how much work really goes into these pageants and how much we truly give back to the community,” Brosofsky said.

Published on June 8, 2015 at 10:06 pm

Contact Rachel: rcgilber@syr.edu