Baton-twirling space engineer captures Miss California Volunteer crown
Cassie Roby, a 26-year-old space engineer, figures she has found her home with the Miss California Volunteer Pageant.
The representative from San Mónica made sure of that Sunday evening when she swept the top three competitions – physical fitness, talent, and interview – to capture the 2023 crown of the 2-year-old state pageant at the Tower Theater.
Her road included competing in the Miss America Organization in Florida, then the Miss USA pageant, and the Miss California Organization where she represented Santa Mónica at the state finals in Fresno.
“I found a family with the Miss California Volunteer and the America Volunteer system,” said Roby, who will compete at the Miss America Volunteer Pageant later this year in Tennessee.
Roby, who moved into pageants after finishing her stint as a competitive baton twirler, bested a field of 14 hopefuls for the $10,000 scholarship and other prizes.
She and first runner-up Jireh Gerry (Miss Los Ángeles) faced each other on stage and flashed big smiles while waiting for emcee Jessa Carmack Souza (Miss California 2016) to announce the fledgling pageant’s queen.
Roby was surprised she excelled in the physical fitness, talent, and interview portions of the pageant.
“I was very, very surprised, to be honest,” said Roby. “Fitness and wellness is not something that I’m super familiar with, and I was really nervous about it.
“I just went out there with my most confident self. I’ve been eating well. I’ve been working out and taking care of my body.”
Roby put on a baton twirling performance for her talent competition, juggling as many as three of them in her routine.
“My fourth-grade teacher would bring her baton to recess, and so I would just play around with,” said Roby. “I just never put them down.”
Roby earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from Florida State University. She is currently a system engineer at Northrop Grumman.
She has an active top secret clearance.
Roby wants to use her title to promote her SPACE Girls mentorship program. She also wants to earn a PhD in nonprofit management to improve that program.
In her on-stage question about how the pandemic changed her life, Roby said, “One thing that I learned is the importance of our family, our friends, and even our co-workers.”
“I leaned on those co-workers to lift me up on the scary days when somebody I knew or a family member had gotten COVID,” she said. “Those were on the days when I just didn’t want to be (at work) because all of my friends were posting about how they got to do their laundry and work, and not have to meal prep.”
Gerry, the runner-up, earned a $2,000 scholarship and a trip to the National Sweetheart Pageant as California’s representative.
Other finalists were second runner-up Miss Culver City Hannah Cutter; third runner-up Miss San Mateo Sofia Costantini; fourth runner-up Miss Sierra Nevada Audrey Showen; and, fifth runner-up Miss San Francisco Claire Rose Vincenzi.
Miss Congeniality went to Miss Vista Samantha Mendoza.
Other award winners: People’s Choice (Costantini); Volunteer Spirit (Miss Fresno Jacqueline Trafton); Community Service (Miss San Diego Tia Henderson); and, non-finalist interview (Miss Riverside Taisyn Crutchfield).
San Diego candidate claims teen title
Natalie Miragliotta has plenty in common with the new Miss California Volunteer Cassie Roby.
Both were born in another state (Miragliotta is from Texas).
Both were the last to perform on Saturday night.
Both swept the physical fitness, talent and interview portions of the competition.
And, both won a title.
Miragliotta, a 15-year-old student at Helix Charter High School, captured the Miss California Volunteer Teen crown and its $2,000 scholarship.
The competitive dancer was looking for something else when she stumbled into the pageant.
“I’m happy I did because I couldn’t have asked for a better group of people to compete with, and to grow a relationship with,” said Miragliotta, who plans to attend the University of Texas and study law and business.
The pageant, she added, emphasizes volunteerism.
“Being able to do pageants and combine with volunteerism is a huge opportunity,” said said. “I’m happy to promote the program and be a role model to young girls.”
Miragliotta performed a lyrical dance for her talent competition.
First runner-up Miss Sacramento Eve Steinbrecher, who won a $500 scholarship.
Miss Orange County won the Miss Congeniality title.
Other winners were: People’s Choice (Steinbrecher); Volunteer Spirit (Steinbrecher); and, Community Service (Miss Ventura Juliette Nasarenko).
Pageant notes
Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer delivered a welcome on video ... The Bankers Ballroom in the Pacific Southwest Building downtown hosted the pageant arrival on Friday ... Many of the pageant’s key workers had ties with the Miss California Organization, which will move its pageant from its home of two decades (Fresno) to Visalia in July ... Contestants were positive about the rainy weather because it lessened their allergies. Some of them had experienced the Valley’s July heat ... Organizers have given out about $40,000 in scholarships in the pageants’ first two years, and many of its supporters come from the agricultural sector ... Emcee Jessa Carmack Souza was Miss California 2016.
