Three local women head for pageants

Two area teens, Jessica Ann Nemcik of Youngstown and Ciara Nichole Ciccolelli of Poland, will be competing for the title of 2008 Miss Ohio Teen USA, and Dana L. Laboy of Youngstown will be competing for the Miss Ohio USA title, during a pageant to be held Thursday, Friday and Saturday at the Vern Riffe Center for the Arts on the campus of Shawnee State University in Portsmouth.

Nemcik, a daughter of Christine Nemcik, is a student at Boardman High School. Among her activities are dance, volleyball, pilates, poetry writing, photography, and baby-sitting. She enjoys helping people and making a difference. She has collected food and clothing for families in need and strives to be a positive role model for young girls. She appeared with Kelly Pavlik at the Nov. 24 Phantoms hockey game, where she dropped the first puck.

Ciccolelli, daughter of Kimberly Ciccolelli and the late Robert Ciccolelli, is a student at Springfield High School. She is a majorette and a student council representative for the senior class; is involved in the National Honor Society, Spirit Club, Spanish Club, Girl Scouts and the Youngstown State University English Festival; and is a member of the homecoming float, prom and yearbook committees and the choir.

She was first runner-up in the 2007 Miss Greater Youngstown Italian Pageant and was on the prom court. She is a member of St. Charles Church; is a volunteer at Sunrise Nursing Home and a disability camp counselor at Camp Sugar Bush; and has performed in the Russian Nutcracker Ballet, twirled baton at Disney World and participated in Boardman Band Night Fire Spectacular.

Laboy is a daughter of Angeline Laboy and Michael Laboy and is a student at the University of Toledo, where she is a member of the Student Alumni Association. She was a member of the National Honor Society and graduated with honors from Boardman High School. She was the 2003-2007 recipient of the President’s Education Award Program, the Lancelot C.A. Thompson Diversity Scholarship and the Tower Presting and Scholarship, and she received the Golden Volunteer Award from Forum Health, and has been an active blood donor with the American Red Cross.

The three are being sponsored by area businesses, relatives and friends.

The young woman chosen as Miss Ohio Teen USA and the one chosen as Miss Ohio USA will represent the state in a national pageant, competing for more than $100,000 in cash and prizes.