Determination — and four tries — made the new Miss Huntington Beach a winner
This victory has been a long time coming for Surf City’s new queen.
Before being crowned the new Miss Huntington Beach on Saturday and winning a $3,000 scholarship, Jena Farris competed in the annual competition three times.
In 2013 and ‘14, she earned first runner-up but she did not place last year.
“I didn’t become discouraged,” the 20-year-old said Monday. “It really made Saturday night’s victory that much greater.”
Farris, who competed against seven other young women Saturday at the Huntington Beach Central Library, said she was first encouraged to enter the contest in 2013 by her Marina High School math teacher, Jill Hardy, who also is a city councilwoman.
“I knew she cared about our community and wanted to participate in it more,” Hardy said. “When a student expresses an interest, I encourage them to pursue it. I’m just super proud of her and so excited that she stayed with the program and didn’t get discouraged.”
The contestants were scored on interviews about their educational plans and community service and on their “poise, confidence and projection to judges and the audience,” officials said.
As the new queen, Farris will represent the city at more than 60 community events over the next year, a challenge she said she is up to.
Being a Huntington Beach Princess those first two years helped prepare her for her new role, she said.
“I really turned from a teenager to an adult in that time, and I really attribute that to being out in the community,” said Farris, who studies sociology at Golden West College in Huntington Beach and wants to become a social worker.
“The city has personally shaped me into the woman that I am today, and I wanted the opportunity to serve my community more.”
Farris said she is particularly proud of her efforts with the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life event in Huntington Beach the past seven years.
After participating on various teams during the annual fundraising walk, Farris formed her own team, Crowns for the Cure, last year. The group had about 30 members and raised about $1,800.
Her biggest goal as Miss Huntington Beach, she said, is to help the Relay for Life grow.
“I really want to bring more community involvement toward that,” she said.
Former City Clerk Joan Flynn, a judge at the pageant, said Farris deserves her new distinction.
“Jena stood out as a mature, gracious, poised and well-spoken young woman whose love for her city came across very clearly,” Flynn said. “She is tenacious and a testament to believing in oneself and not giving up on your dreams.”
Twitter: @BrittanyWoolsey
