By MEGAN OMOLO
The Sun
Young contestants in sequined gowns graced the Swedesboro stage on April 19 for the Little Miss New Jersey pageant.
Among them was the pageant: Tessa Gigliotti, a 7-year-old first-grader at Center City School whose routine was performed to Ruth B.’s “Lost Boy.”
While she’s watched pageants on television and previously competed in Little Miss New Jersey, nothing could have prepared Gigliotti for the emotions she felt on stage in April.
“I … knew what to expect,” she explained. “It made me nervous, but I was still confident, because I had my mom to help me. She is the best.”
Gigliotti’s spirit has followed her beyond the stage and impacted the lives of fellow contestants, family and members of the community who’ve been part of her pageant journey since the contest began on Zoom.
She entered the pageant world at just 18 months old, when COVID brought the world to a standstill and pageants transitioned online. While Gigliotti might have been too young to remember some of her earlier competitions, the bond she fostered with her mother Emily through a unique hobby has helped her gain confidence since she first stepped foot on stage.
“We really do this because, believe it or not, she might not really show it right now, but she can be very shy and timid,” Emily Gigliotti explained of her daughter. “So we needed to find an outlet where she can build that confidence.”
Emily encourages Tessa to take pride in her accomplishments during pageants; to recognize that her beauty goes beyond pretty dresses and shiny accessories; and, most important, to use her platform for the benefit of her community.
Gigliotti’s community service has included creating Heart to Art, where kits are made for children in local hospitals; choosing sneakers to be recycled for a South Jersey scholarship fund; and putting baking skills to use for desserts that go to Unforgotten Haven.
Gigliotti plans a year of service with other pageant titleholders. Later this month, she will team with Miss New Jersey Teen to bring rock painting to her school so can leave colorful, uplifting messages on decorated figures for the community.
And she continues to brainstorm creative ways to put smiles on others.
At just 7 years old – and as she prepares for her next competition – Gigliotti has advice for potential pageant contestants.
“Be yourself and just show your personality,” she recommends. “Even if you get last place, you did something difficult, and that is not easy to do. To me, whether you get first place or last place, the most important thing is that you went out on stage and did your absolute best.
“You proved to yourself that you can do hard things with confidence.”
