Miss Florida Intl to beautify Town parade --Fourth celebration Friday-- July 2, 2014 By BOB PETCHER (rpetcher@breezenewspapers) , Fort Myers Beach Bulletin, Fort Myers Beach Observer Save | Post a comment | Miss Florida International Valerie Trinidad was close to being a national pageantry winner last week. The 5 8 Kissimmee resident, who will grace the second annual Town of Fort Myers Beach Fourth of July Parade this Friday, placed in the Top 10 of the Miss U.S. International finals in Orlando last Friday (June 27). Trinidad, whose ethnicity is Puerto Rican, will be among a group of other pageantry winners expected to be part of the procession, including Miss Fort Myers, Miss Cape Coral, Miss Naples, Miss Teen Earth Florida, Miss Earth Florida, Miss Teen Fort Myers, Mrs. Florida American Beauty, Miss Pre-Teen Florida American Beauty and Little Miss Florida American Beauty. More on the Town celebration on page 10. Article Photos PHOTO PROVIDED Valerie Trinidad made a successful transition from model to pageantry queen. Miss Florida International finished in the top 10 at the Miss U.S. International finals last week. Trinidad recently made the transformation from model to pageantry contestant and quickly found success. The 24-year-old was born and raised in The Bronx, New York, then moved to Florida when she was age 15. Her pageantry experience extends only 3-4 years. As I was growing up, I always took modeling classes because I was always into modeling, she said. One day, a pageant director saw me shopping in Wal-Mart and asked if I had ever entered a pageant. I told her I was into modeling, and she told me it was kind of similar. When I tried it out, I placed as a finalist and got addicted, so I kept doing them. Along the way, Trinidad met Suzi Hosfeld, the executive state director of the Miss Florida U.S. International Pageant, and soon enough picked up the state title under her tutelage. Thats when she went from Miss Kissimmee to Miss Nature Coast to Miss Florida International. It wasnt until last year when I actually pushed myself and went out for Miss Nature Coast and won that preliminary title, she said. Two months later, I won the state title. Suzi told me I had the height and the look. She really encouraged me. She was also a model and a pageant queen, so I knew I was with someone who would push me in the right direction. Hosfeld, a former Miss Wisconsin U.S.A and the owner of Envy Models & Talent, held Trinidad in high regard prior to the national competition. Valerie is a gem to work with very personable and very funny! She is a true pageant girl and takes this very seriously, she said. I have trained her this year and she has grown into a fabulous young woman who stands a fabulous chance of bringing home the Miss U.S. International title. Trinidad is a recent graduate of Venice (Fla.) University with a bachelors degree in Health Science. This fall, she is planning to enroll in a masters program for occupational therapy by taking a state exam that would apply for her further education. But, now that the national competition is behind her, Trinidad plans on taking a little rest and relaxation on Fort Myers Beach. She traveled down to the Beach -her first time ever across Matanzas Pass Bridge- this week and is staying on the island during the July 4 week. I am excited to see Fort Myers Beach, she said earlier. Its been a great year traveling all over Florida and meeting all types of people. Trinidad has frequented Fort Myers (where Hosfelds office is located) and attended PugFest, where she helped raise funds for pugs and animal services in the area. Pageantry contests require contestants to be involved in public speaking and require stage presence in different cities during state tours. My passion has always been to help others, and I titled my platform being able to help those who cannot help themselves. That means to encourage those who are either disabled or going through a difficulty, she said. I encourage others to see the difficulty as not something that will hold them back, but to use it as a stepping stone to move forward in life and to use it as courage to move forward. Trinidad has worked with IDignity in Orlando, an organization created to help the disadvantaged in Central Florida overcome the difficulties of obtaining personal identification that is crucial to enabling them to become self-sufficient. It promotes helping those that are less fortunate in Orlando and helping them obtain their Florida identification, she said. Trinidad calls her mother - a lady who traveled from Puerto Rico to the U.S., taught herself English and graduated with a Masters degree in Education- her hero. A few years back, Valeries aunt was killed in an auto accident and her mother adopted her three children. Shes a very strong women, and she has always been there for me. She encourages me in everything that I do, she said. She is the true queen of the house. I look up to her 100 percent. All my life she has been a teacher, so I have a teacher at home. If there was a talent portion of the international competition, Trinidad said she would play the clarinet. Besides that, she loves to shop. Growing up, I was a band geek, she admits. I played the clarinet and was a cheerleader for one year, but that didnt work out well. How is the whole experience of pageantry rewarding? It shows you that hard work really does pay off, she answered. You meet such amazing people with amazing stories. Its not always standing up there in a bikini or a nice, shiny dress. It takes a lot of work. Its an everyday process. You have to wake up, feel motivated and know you that have to train for your next pageant. But, you also have to leave footprints in the hearts of others. Save | Post a comment | Subscribe to Fort Myers Beach Bulletin, Fort Myers Beach Observer
Posted on: Thu, 03 Jul 2014 19:52:21 +0000
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