Rogers High student named Miss Pierce County’s Outstanding Teen

Regan Gallo knows firsthand the struggle of battling Colitis, an autoimmune disease that effects her digestive system.

The 17-year-old Gallo has been battling the disease since the age of 4. She felt so passionate about supporting her fellow patients suffering from Colitis, as well as Crohn’s disease, that she made it her platform while competing for the title of Miss Pierce County’s Outstanding Teen.

The Outstanding Teen Pageant was Gallo’s first go-around as a pageant contestant.

“I’ve always wanted to be in a pageant,” Gallo said. “I just didn’t know if it would all work out.”

As a junior at Rogers High School, she’s involved with the school’s cheer squad, leadership class, and she’s the junior class spirit leader. Additionally, she’s involved with Tacoma Musical Playhouse, and dances at Puyallup’s Elite Dance studio.

Balancing extra curricular activities, pageant rehearsals and keeping herself healthy means a big to-do list, says her mother, Kay.

“I’m very proud of her,” she said. “As a parent, you realize you must have done something right.”

For Regan, her hard work at rehearsals, perfecting her walk, participating in mock interviews, fundraising for her platform of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation all paid off when she was crowned Feb. 20.

“It was a lot of fun for me,” Regan said.

More important than the fun experience for Gallo, she was also awarded a $1,350 scholarship that came along with her title from the Miss Pierce County Scholarship Program.

“She’s so willing to do whatever it takes,” said Jennifer Goble, executive director of Miss Pierce County. “Whatever feedback you gave, she would go back and work on what you told her to do. She’s going big places.”

Ultimately, Gallo sees herself eventually going in the medical field or working in pediatrics.

“I grew up in the hospital,” Gallo said. “I know what they’re going through.”

Gallo will continue working her platform of supporting the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation through coin drives, supporting the organization’s annual walk, and volunteering at Good Samaritan Hospital and making care bags for patients.

She will go on to compete May 28 and 29 in the Washington State Outstanding Teen Pageant.

Sumner High student named Miss Congeniality

Alexis Gerimonte, a 17-year-old junior at Sumner High School, was named Miss Congeniality at the Miss Pierce County Outstanding Teen pageant.

Her service platform is The Kind Campaign. Kind Campaign is an internationally recognized movement, documentary and school program based upon the powerful belief in kindness that brings awareness and healing to the negative and lasting effects of girl-against-girl “crime,” according to the organization’s website.

Gerimonte is a member of the Kind Campaign club and spreads this movement to other schools and everywhere she can. She plans to be a naturopathic physician.

She was voted Miss Congeniality by the other teen contestants in this year’s Miss Pierce County’s Outstanding Teen competition, a local program of the Miss America’s Outstanding Teen program. The award is accompanied by a $100 scholarship.

This story was originally published March 9, 2016 at 9:49 AM with the headline "Rogers High student named Miss Pierce County’s Outstanding Teen."