Two O.C. students capture the tiaras in Miss Fountain Valley pageant

The Miss Fountain Valley scholarship competition crowned two local students on Saturday, as Maya Lessenger and Samantha Nicart were given the coveted titles.

Lessenger, a real estate major at Orange Coast College, will represent the community as Miss Fountain Valley. She is a 2024 graduate of Huntington Beach High, where she competed in track and field.

“I am in complete shock that this opportunity has been given to me,” said Lessenger, who added she had never competed in a pageant before. “I’m just trying to find ways to really make it as meaningful as possible.”

Lessenger received a $5,000 scholarship as the overall winner of the Miss Fountain Valley competition, which was held in front of approximately 300 guests on Saturday at the Sapphire Center.

Contestants brought their unique talents to the stage. Lessenger sang, while also making it accessible by performing it in American Sign Language.

“I took four years of ASL in high school, and senior year of high school, we did a song portion of ASL, where we learned how to translate emotions into music,” Lessenger said. “I did a few songs for that, and it was incredible. I really loved how it made me feel like I was including everyone.

“I knew that I wanted to add some sort of ASL into my song. I landed on ‘Hopelessly Devoted [To You],’ because it’s such an old-fashioned song, and I love the movie ‘Grease.’ I did that song in vocal lessons, so I knew that I was pretty prepared vocally for it.”

There could be more where that came from. Lessenger, who said she has received CPR certification as a lifeguard, added she plans to run a CPR class in ASL to help members of the deaf community become certified, too.

Other goals in the coming year include a focus on women’s health and teaching kids the importance of being physically active. As for her community service initiative, she said she plans to work with the American Heart Assn.

Miss Teen Fountain Valley

Nicart, a senior captain of the cheerleading squad at Fountain Valley High, earned the title of Miss Teen Fountain Valley.

In the competition, Nicart showcased a tumbling routine and shared what being part of that group has taught her in her time as a Baron.

“The very first thing I’ve always focused on was making sure that when we came to cheer, it was something that we not only enjoyed, but saying that we could confide in each other and create a family,” Nicart said. “That’s what I always try to implement. When we took that to the stage and we competed, I always reminded everyone, ‘Hey, at the end of the day, you have to do the best for not only yourself but the others on your team, because this is what they’ve spent so many hours doing for each other.’

“I also always let them know, ‘Your best is the best,’ and it’s OK to make little mistakes, but you need to get back right in there and do the best you can.”

Nicart is also focused on matters related to accessibility, especially concerning individuals with autism spectrum disorder. It is an issue close to her heart, as she has a cousin who lives with nonverbal autism.

As a new titleholder, Nicart said she felt a responsibility to teach kids in schools the importance of getting out into their communities, understanding what the community needs, and recognizing what is important to them. Sharing stories with others, she said, helps them understand you.

“I think it fosters more empathy within people because they’re able to get a new perspective and see how hard people are working behind the scenes to get more people within their area to be valued and seen more,” Nicart added.

More than $10,000 in scholarships was awarded during the event.

Malia Walker, a drama student at UC Irvine, and Phoebe Nguyen, a public defender investigator who graduated from Cal State Fullerton, join the court for 2026.

Academic honors were earned by Walker, as well as by Addison Phan in the teen competition.

Additional awards were given out for Community Service (Mariz Isabella Bolano), Miss Congeniality (Jasmine Dennis and Samantha Nicart), Spirit of Fountain Valley (Phoebe Nguyen), Stewardship (Maya Lessenger), and Talent (Caroline Murdock).

There were 11 total contestants — seven for the Miss Fountain Valley competition and four for the teen pageant.

“These women demonstrated great talent, poise, and beauty and brought many cheers from the audience,” Sandi Licata, executive director of the Miss Fountain Valley competition, said in a statement.

Jackelyn Carbajal, the outgoing Miss Fountain Valley, went on to earn the Golden Positivity Award at the Miss California competition. She granted eight wishes through the Make-A-Wish Foundation.