June 17, 2005

It's Miss New Jersey Week in Ocean City

By TOM WILLIAMS
Staff Writer

For the 10th consecutive year, Miss New Jersey will be selected on the Ocean City Music Pier. The competition started Thursday, continues tonight and ends Saturday with the crowning.

This pageant has always been held in South Jersey. It started in Wildwood then, in the early 1960s, moved to Cherry Hill for a very long stay. There were one-year stops in places like Delran, Audubon and Voorhees and, in the early 1990s, a return to Wildwood before settling in here.

And South Jersey women have been successful. Four of the last five titleholders came from South Jersey, the lone exception being Alicia Luciano of Stanhope.

This year there will be 26 young women competing to succeed Pitman?s Erica Scanlon as Miss New Jersey. Exactly half of them will be competing in the state pageant for the first time. And eight of them are from the surrounding area.

Those eight are:
Jamie Ginn, 22, Miss Brigantine, who lives in Upper Township and graduated from both Ocean City High School and from Rowan University. She is a dancer and her platform issue is A Future Without Crohn?s and Colitis.
Lacey Johnson, 20, Miss Cape May County, who lives in Avalon, graduated from Holy Spirit and attends Temple. She is a singer and her platform issue is Physical Fitness Among Youth.
Kristi Pawlus, 19, Miss Ramapo Valley, who lives in Cape May Court House and attends Richard Stockton College. She is a singer and her platform issue is Helping Elderly Through Music.
Ashley Fairfield, 18, Miss Columbus Day, who lives in Egg Harbor Township and attends Atlantic Cape Community College. She is a dancer and her platform issue is Habitat for Humanity.
Mary Koenke, 21, Miss Atlantic County, who lives in Mays Landing and attends the University of Pennsylvania. She plays the violin and her platform issue is Autism Awareness.
Amanda Dawson, 19, Miss Cumberland County, who lives in Bridgeton and attends Rowan. She plays piano and her platform issue is Thyroid Disorder Awareness.
Jenni Shelton, 18, Miss Vineland, who lives in Millville and attends Cumberland County College. She is a dancer and her platform issue is Awareness of Emotional Abuse.
Heather Woods, 20, Miss Heartland, who lives in Millville and attends Cumberland County College. She is a singer and her platform issue is Mentoring.

The remaining 18 are:
Erin Abrahamson, 20, Miss Highland, who lives in Essex Falls and attends Montclair State University. She is a singer and her platform issue is Volunteerism.
Amy Calvo, 22, Miss Liberty, who lives in Pennington and attends Bucknell University. She is a singer and her platform issue is Healthy Diet.
Sarah Cohen, 21, Miss Laurel Valley, who lives in Westmont and attends Temple. She is a singer and her platform issue is 4-H Youth Involvement.
Jennifer Costa, 24, Miss Union County, who lives in Edison and graduated from Seton Hall. She is a dancer and her platform issue is Preserving Cultural Diversity.
Georgine DiMaria, 21, Miss Stars & Stripes, who lives in Lodi and attends Fairleigh-Dickinson. She is a singer-violinist and her platform issue is Living with Asthma.
Stephanie Garland, 21, Miss Camden County, who lives in Somerdale and attends Brown University. She is a dancer and her platform issue is The Arts in ME.
Jessica Greenberg, 20, Miss Gateway, who lives in Fair Lawn and attends the University of Delaware. She is a singer and her platform issue is Juvenile Diabetes Research.
Jamie Maglietta, 22, Miss Queen City, who lives in New Providence and attends Northeastern University. She is a singer and her platform issue is Teen Runaways.
Melanie Nelson, 21, Miss Salem County, who lives in Pennsville and attends Gloucester County College. She is an acro-dancer and her platform issue is Health & Fitness for Children.
Alissa Palladinetti, 24, Miss Shore Resort, who lives in Cherry Hill and graduated from Westminster Choir College. She is an opera singer and her platform issue is Music Education.
Alexis Pelletier, 19, Miss Tri County, who lives in Williamstown and attends Temple. She is a flutist and her platform issue is Bipolar Disorder Advocacy.
Christine Ritzius, 21, Miss All State, who lives in Runnemede and attends The College of New Jersey. She is a singer and her platform issue is Importance of Foster Care.
Julie Robenhymer, 23, Miss Burlington County, who lives in Moorestown and is a graduate of UMass. She is a dancer and her platform issue is Power of Positive Thinking.
Lynette Robinson, 22, Miss Champaign Springs, who lives in Princeton and attends Princeton University. She is a singer and her platform issue is Cancer Awareness.
Melissa Ruiz, 18, Miss Gloucester County, who lives in West Deptford and attends Rutgers. She is a tap dancer and her platform issue is Alzheimer?s Disease Awareness.
Ashlyn Shawah, 17, Miss Bergen County, who lives in Pompton Lakes and is a senior at Pequannock High School. She is a singer and her platform issue is END-DWI.
Bridgette Wells, 23, Miss Somerset County, who lives in Mullica Hill and graduated from Rutgers. She is a singer and her platform issue is 4-H Youth Development.
Amina Wirjosemito, 19, Miss Central Coast, who lives at McGuire Air Force Base and attends the University of Delaware. She is a singer and her platform issue is Healthy Hearts.

Ten of the 26 young women were contestants in last year's pageant. Others have credentials from other appearances.

Palladinetti was second runner-up to Miss New Jersey last year, Ritzius and Abrahamson were in the top 10 and Greenberg was a swim suit competition winner in 2004. Abrahamson was also Miss Teen New Jersey in the 2001 Miss Teen USA Pageant. Ginn was the second runner-up here in 2003 and DiMaria the third runner-up.

They have come from all over the state with a varied list of credentials. There is a high school senior, college students and college graduates. There are singers, dancers and musicians. The group contains teenagers and a few who are competing for the last time because of age.

And one of them will wake up Sunday as Miss New Jersey.