Dreams came true for four different pageant contestants on Saturday evening in the auditorium of Eastside High School.
The new Miss Gainesville and Miss Ocala were crowned, as were their Miss Teen counterparts. The new titleholders are prepared to embark on a yearlong journey of community involvement in the north Florida area.
Fifteen contestants took the stage with the hopes of capturing one of the coveted titles being offered. The Miss Gainesville Scholarship Pageant is a local preliminary competition for Miss Florida and is a part of the Miss America Organization.
One contestant, Halle Burton, 20, took home the title of Miss Gainesville 2024. This opportunity is more than a crown for the Gainesville native.
Burton was 6 years old when she first became involved with the Miss America organization. She was a part of the Sunshine Princess program, which allows young girls to become involved with the pageant system before they are of age to compete. She held the title of Little Miss Gainesville.
“I now have the opportunity to become a role model for girls that I once had,” she said.
Burton told the story of her grandfather writing a letter to her while she was a part of the Sunshine Princess Program. It was the final letter she would ever receive from him. He passed away from pancreatic cancer later that year. In his letter, he said, “Always be a princess.”
“This title is honoring him in a way,” she said.
Burton’s mother, Crystal Burton, is a former titleholder with the Miss America Organization herself. She is a former Miss Millard County in Utah.
“She represented her city,” Burton said. “It is an honor to represent mine.”
Burton competed for the title of Miss Gainesville last year. She placed second runner-up and received a $100 scholarship.
Burton has been preparing for the competition for weeks. She has been practicing her modeling skills on the pickleball courts of Southwest Recreation Center, located on the University of Florida’s campus.
“I am grateful I didn't win last year,” she said. “I feel more prepared this year to represent Gainesville.”
During her year as Miss Gainesville, Burton plans to travel throughout Alachua County to advocate for youth activism and mental health awareness through her social impact initiative, Serve Our State. She started the program seven years ago after a friend of hers took his own life. Burton is already involved in the community, hosting mental health miles for UF students. She hopes to grow her efforts to reach more people within the county.
“Actions speak louder than words,” she said. “I am excited to get to work.”
Burton will travel with her newly appointed title to the capitol in Tallahassee on Monday to learn how to write legislation. She said she hopes to one day sponsor mental health bills within the state.
The new Miss Gainesville is currently a junior at UF. She serves as a student senator and is captain of the university’s Gatorettes.
Burton as well as the newly appointed Miss Ocala, Tia Unsell, 25, both received a $1,000 scholarship with their wins. They will each have the opportunity to compete at Miss Florida later this year.
Unsell will be starting her services immediately. She will travel to the Ronald McDonald House of North Central Florida and donate pop tabs. The tabs are recycled, and the money from the donations helps pay for the electric bill each month at the charity house.
“I am excited to form a partnership with them,” Unsell said. “I am a big advocate for kids in need, and I know I can do that as Miss Ocala.”
In 2018, the Miss America Organization rebranded as “Miss America 2.0.” The swimsuit competition was cut from the competition program. The pageant no longer judges based on physical appearance. Instead, judges are told to look at the internal beauty and intelligence of contestants.
Anna-Katherine Risalvato, 19, is the previous winner of Miss Gainesville’s Teen. She went on to capture the coveted title of Miss Florida’s Teen at the state competition. In January, she earned a spot in the top 11 of the Miss America’s Teen national pageant.
Risalvato said the rebrand defines the characteristics of what it means to wear a Miss America crown. The characteristics are style, success, service and scholarship. The organization added a fifth pillar this year: sisterhood.
“Going through this system, everyone has been so nice,” Risalvato said. “Now also competing nationally, those are 50 more girls I get to call my friends.”
Risalvato has made an impact in the Alachua County community with her initiative, Dance4All, Inc., a nonprofit that gives more children a chance to dance. She hosts dance workshops, and all the proceeds raised go towards a scholarship for a child to take dance classes at their local studio.
“It has been truly an honor to serve not only this community but all of Florida,” she said.
Miss Gainesville’s executive director, Rachel Dickhaus, was a former Miss Gainesville herself. She held the title in both 2013 and 2015.
“We are a family forever, and tonight we are thrilled to welcome two new young ladies into Team Gainesville,” Dickhaus said.
The four winners of the pageant contest will go on to compete for Miss Florida and Miss Florida’s Teen later this summer in Lakeland.
The Miss America organization, Halle Burton said, is more than a “world peace pageant.”
