Crowning achievements

Two women with Springfield College ties will compete in the Miss Massachussetts Scholarship Pageant this year.

___ By Sean Savage ___ @SeanSav13

The 2023 Miss Massachusetts Scholarship Pageant will feature two women with Springfield College ties. On Jan. 29, Olivia Tocchio, a Psychology and Criminal Justice major, was crowned Miss Pioneer Valley, and SC alum Bailey Tatro ‘22 was named Miss Western Massachusetts. Both will compete for the honor of being named Miss Massachusetts in Worcester this July.

“It feels amazing,”

Bailey Tatro said. “Being a title holder in the Miss America Organization allows you to have a platform to connect with others about various social issues.”

For Tatro to get where she is, she had to prepare a social impact statement and resume.

Once that is passed, the competition opens with a strict nine-anda-half minute-long interview with a panel of five judges, ending with a 30-second closing statement.

Additionally, the show started with a social impact pitch – a 20-second elevator pitch of her social impact statement. Tatro was then required to answer an impromptu onstage question, perform a 90-second talent – for Tatro, it was dancing – and finally walk in evening wear.

Tatro did not let the multiple stages of the competition impact her mentally.

“Most importantly, while completing all of these phases, the judges want to see that you are a genuine human,” she said. “People really tend to underestimate how much our body language impacts our confidence.”

Tatro is grateful for where she is today. A year ago, she was named Miss Pioneer Valley and was one of the top 11 finalists in the 2022 Miss Massachusetts competition.

However, she only started competing thanks to Jackie O’Keefe, Assistant Director of Housing and Residence Life at Springfield College, whom Tatro met during her time as an RA.

“If I had not been motivated by trying to earn some brownie points, then I would have never known how amazing of an opportunity this is. So it did not start out as a dream, but it quickly became one once I realized all of the benefits that come along with this job,” Tatro said.

In the upcoming months, Tatro will be volunteering within the community at different local fundraisers, along with hosting her own. She will also speak to high and middle school students about her social impact.

If Tatro becomes Miss Massachusetts, she will have the opportunity to compete at the Miss America Pageant.

She is currently working on a presentation on her initiative, Intuitive Eating and documenting her journey via Instagram at @misswesternmass. It will aid in “finding peace within yourself, to take into schools in our area,” Tatro said. “It also allows you to have the most supportive network of some of the most intelligent and kind women you will ever meet.”