On Sunday, Aug. 20, 17-year-old Genna Cardalena of Floral Park was named Miss Long Island Teen 2015 at the annual pageant held in Patchogue, in conjunction with the Miss Long Island Pageant. Thirty-two women, between the ages of 14 and 26 years old represented towns from across Long Island to compete for the Miss and Teen 2015 titles.
Cardalena told Long Island Weekly, “It’s really surreal; it took me about 24 hours for it to really sink in that I was Miss Long Island Teen 2015.” This is her third competition. Her cousin originally turned her on to pageant competitions. “I entered on a whim and placed in the Top 10 in a 2013 competition in Westchester,” said Cardalena. She then entered the 2014 pageant on Long Island and placed in the top five and also won Miss Congeniality.
In addition to winning Miss Long Island Teen 2015, Cardalena won in the categories for Miss Photogenic and Miss Congeniality this year.
Reigning 2014 queens, Miss Long Island Michelle Medoff of Great Neck, and Miss Long Island Teen Sabrina Franza of Oceanside, starred in the show and crowned their successors, who will advance to compete in Donald Trump’s New York USA pageant representing Long Island. Jenna Tirado, 20, of Manorville won Miss Long Island 2015.
Cardalena, and her sister-queen, Tirado, are now being coached, learning pageantry skills from other pageant winners, for the Miss New York and Miss New York Teen competitions being held in January 2015. If Cardalena wins, she will continue to Miss Teen USA in the Bahamas next year.
Fifteen-year-old Floral Park resident Sarah Chimera also competed in the 2015 pageant. The event was co-emceed by Long Island Pageant Director Lori Thomas, and Miss LI Teen 2012 Sabrina Mastrangelo, who went on to win the Miss NY Teen 2012 crown.
