After holding the title in a state competition last fall, a Waltham freshman has gone on to gain worldwide recognition in the 2008 Miss Teen International Belleza competition.
Representing Massachusetts in Orlando, Fla., Jeniffer Ruiz, a freshman at Waltham High School this September, was crowned Miss Teen International Belleza Latina 2008 earlier this month.
"I was named international because I competed against the U.S. and countries like the Dominican Republic," said Jeniffer, 13, the youngest competitor in the pageant. "I could not believe it. I first of all did not believe that I won the Massachusetts one because of my age. I won and I was like, ‘Oh my, I have to go to nationals now,’ so I was kind of nervous."
Jeniffer, who was born in Puerto Rico before and moved here at age 1, was crowned Miss Massachusetts in the 2007 Belleza Teen competition last November in Randolph, representing the Waltham Hispanic community, which prompted her to move on to nationals.
But her days as a competitor go back to when she was only 9 years old, having competed and won in a similar pageant held by Latinos en Accion de Waltham.
Jeniffer’s sister, Leiri, who held the crown for Miss Puerto Rico Massachusetts last year, offered inspiration for Jeniffer.
Jeniffer said her sister has since been named Miss World of the Villalba Pageant, and is now aiming for the Miss World Puerto Rico title. She also said the pageant is accepting of women of all ages, and does not hold restrictions against women with families or children.
"This pageant opens the doors to anybody that has children no matter what, it doesn’t matter. You’re beautiful either way," Jeniffer said.
During the national competition, Jeniffer performed a dance with the other contestants, all of whom were then asked to state their names, ages, and states they were representing to a group of judges.
Contestants all then went on to model fashions they chose to express their age and style, and finally modeled a variety of evening gowns. Jeniffer also held a five-minute interview with the judges before the pageant to talk about her culture.
"It’s a great opportunity," she said. "You have fun, you meet a bunch of people, and you have memories, and I think that winning the crown is great but what stays in your mind is that experience you had with other girls."
And after her continued success, Jeniffer said she has one piece of advice for girls of all ages interested in competing at one point or another.
"Give it a try. Even if you don’t win, it’s just that experience that you had," she said.
Matt Perkins can be reached at 781-398-8009 or at mperkins@cnc.com.
