Miss Virginia

Adrianna Cecilia Sgarlata

What is your hometown like?
Fairfax County is a bustling suburb of Washington, D.C., with over 1 million people and the home of George Mason University where I completed my bachelor's degree and am now working on my master's degree in vocal performance.

What were you like when you were a child?
I loved my childhood, playing make believe and dress up, putting on my mom's high heels and wearing special scarves over my clothes to go bargain shopping in my parent's home office. I also loved making up and singing songs about anything and everything, from cleaning my room to helping with chores around the house.

Who is the most influential person in your life?
My voice instructor has really helped me to stay focused on my strong suit and to stay positive. She's always encouraged me to focus on my successes and not my mistakes and to focus on the future and not the past.

What is one thing about you that people you meet may not immediately realize?
I can whistle through my teeth.

What was one defining moment in your life?
When I was told that others had tried for 10 years, unsuccessfully, to get laws passed in Virginia to protect children from bullies, it seemed almost useless to try to do anything by myself because I didn't have any connections at all to anyone in Richmond. So when Governor Warner invited me to the bill signing ceremony and handed me the pen used to sign two different bully prevention laws just six months after I began to champion a bully prevention law in Virginia, I realized that one person really can make a difference and affect for good hundreds of thousands, even millions of people's lives, just by getting involved and focusing on the goal, not the obstacles.

What was one defining moment in your life?
If you compete in anything in life, you are likely to have more losses than wins, but don't give up. Stay positive and optimistic, and cherish the friendships you make along the way.

What was one defining moment in your life?
I want to build the image of Miss America as a well-rounded, talented and articulate woman of substance, who is just as comfortable performing on stage as she is speaking at a Capitol Hill press conference. Just as I've done in Virginia already, I will be the most active Miss America yet, singing and performing my talent on major stages across America. And with the attention from singing, I will bring national, even international attention to the role of Miss America as the voice of America's youth. At a time when our nation is at war overseas, I will be committed to ensuring that our nation's young people don't wage war against one another in schools, on playgrounds and over the Internet.