DB’s new royalty crowned
Surrounded by the 2017 Miss Diamond Bar and princesses, junior Shereen Wu accepts a plaque and a bouquet of flowers as the new Miss Diamond Bar.
March 20, 2018
While most girls only daydream of becoming royalty, five young women will get to live out this fantasy this year as a part of the 2018 Miss Diamond Bar Court.
The court was selected at the 54th annual Miss Diamond Bar Pageant on Mar. 11.
Out of the nine contestants, Diamond Bar High School junior Shereen Wu was crowned as Miss Diamond Bar 2018.
Diamond Ranch High School junior Athena Barna, DBHS alumna and Mt. SAC freshman Isabella Retamosa, DBHS junior Jenna Wong and Diamond Ranch High School junior Jacqueline Mayorga were the first, second, third and fourth runner-ups, respectively. The four runner-ups were all crowned as Miss Diamond Bar princesses.
Wu said that entering the pageant was a spur of the moment decision and that she was surprised by her success.
“I didn’t know any specifics of pageantry, but I wanted to try something new,” she said via Facebook. “My competitors were all very accomplished women, so I didn’t expect to be the winner.”
Contestants were scored in an interview that took place before the pageant, which was worth 45 points. During the pageant, they were then asked a randomly selected onstage question, and afterwards scored in a swimsuit competition and evening gown competition, each worth 15 points.
Before the five finalists were announced, additional awards were presented for the contestants. Wu won both the Miss Congeniality Award, which was based purely on her application, and the MVP Award, which was voted on by her fellow contestants. Barna won the Miss Photogenic Award and Retamosa won the We Love to See You Smile award, which were both decided by Joelle Leder Photography, the company responsible for much of the pageant’s photography.
The five finalists were then announced and asked a final question before the winners and runner-up were announced.
As a princess, Wong hopes to be able to give back to the city.
“Now that I’m sixteen, and I [was] able to enter the pageant, I’ve gained a lot more experience, and I have a lot more of a personal connection to the city, so I want to be able to give back because I’ve pretty much grown up here,” she said.
Wu said that entering the pageant has helped her gain confidence, and she hopes to be a community role model as Miss Diamond Bar.
“Being in the pageant is possibly the best choice I ever made. I feel stronger, more powerful, and more confident than ever…I’ve learned to really take pride in the things you do, and to always try something new because you’ll never know how rewarding it [will] be in the future,” she said. “[As Miss Diamond Bar], I hope to be a positive role model to the youth and really get to help the community to the best of my ability.”
