Sierra High senior Arveen Birdi was crowned Miss Manteca during Manteca Youth Focus’ 27th annual scholarship competition.
The celebration of leadership, volunteer service and talent also selected an All-Star team to represent youth and the county at various Manteca events during the upcoming 12 months.
Besides awarding educational scholarships, Manteca Youth Focus offers leadership training and volunteer service opportunities to deserving young men and women of achievement from the greater Manteca community.
The new Manteca Youth Focus All-Star Team and Captains will be featured in Sunday’s Manteca Fourth of July Parade in downtown Manteca. The parade starts at 10 a.m. at Golden West School and travels down Main Street to Center Street where it heads west and ends at Library Park.
The Manteca Youth Focus Scholarship Competition was conducted June 26h at Cornerstone Community Church.
In recognition of their unique talents and abilities the Board of Directors of Manteca Youth Focus awarded each contestant with a “Starlight Award” in the phase of competition they
scored their personal. (Individual starlight awards indicated in parenthesis below)
Placing first in the competition for their age division – these are the representatives of Manteca and Manteca Youth Focus for 2021:
● Miss Manteca Arveen Birdi (Personality Interview - perfect score); Arveen is 17 year old senior at Sierra High School. She performed a Bollywood style dance for her talent and has chosen Project Timberwolves Club for her advocacy project, a club which she created on her school campus. Arveen was sponsored by Indian Café, Yours and Mine Sports, and the Mann family. She will also receive a $1,500 educational scholarship
● Manteca City Ambassador Scott Whitby (Stage Arts); Scott will also receive a $1,500 scholarship. He is a 16 year old senior at Weston Ranch High School. For his talent Scott presented a Taekwondo demonstration and for his advocacy project will be hosting a “Magic the Gathering” tournaments to raise funds as a part of the Extra Life initiative benefiting Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. He was sponsored by Robinson’s Taekwondo of Lodi.
● Miss Teen Manteca Mallory Myers (Communicative Skills); Mallory will receive a $500 scholarship. She is a 14 year old freshman at Gregori High School in Modesto. For her talent she performed a flute solo and for her advocacy project she will be fundraising to support families who have lost babies/infants. She was sponsored by Jeff Zellner of Manteca Insurance and Financial Services.
● Teen Manteca City Ambassador Landon Wolfe (Personality Interview); Landon will also receive a $500 scholarship. He is a 15 year old sophomore attending East Union High School. For his talent he performed a piano piece which he composed himself and for his advocacy he will be hosting a toy drive for Valley Children’s Hospital. Landon was sponsored by Billy & Sharon Emperador and Glenda Herrera, a realtor with Crossroads Real Estate Central Valley, Inc.
● Miss Young Manteca Ariceli McBroom (Academic Achievement); Ariceli will receive a $200 scholarship. She is an 11 year old 6th grader at Joshua Cowell Elementary School. For her talent she performed an acro/jazz dance and has chosen to host a canned food, toy and winter clothing drive for HOPE Family Shelter for her advocacy project. She was sponsored by Holly Rochelle Dance Company, Jennifer Batchler, and Sheryl Wallin.
● Young Manteca City Ambassador Trenton Bradshaw (Volunteer Service); Trenton is an 11 year old 6th grader at Stella Brockman Elementary School. He will receive a $200 scholarship. For his talent he presented a demonstration of 3D printing including the pen he used to make numerous items like a pair of sunglasses, a model truck and a picture frame. For his advocacy project, Trenton will continue his work with the Cpl. Charles O. Palmer II Memorial Troop Support Program helping prepare military care packages to send to the troops overseas. He was sponsored by Dr. Trang Duong Orthodontics.
Placing second in the competition for their age division – these are the representatives of the Manteca-Sunrise Kiwanis Club and the 2021Manteca Pumpkin Fair:
● Miss Pumpkin Fair Molly Dua (Personality Interview); Molly is 19 years of age and will receive a $500 scholarship as she returns for her second year as an undergrad at University of California Santa Barbara where she is majoring in Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology. For her talent Molly presented a spoken word poem she wrote in memory of her grandfather who passed away from cancer. She will continue her work on behalf of Agape Villages Foster Family Agency via her Project HUGS campaign, which she created 4 years ago to provide stuffed animals, backpacks with school supplies and personal care items. She was sponsored by Komal Gupta Notary Public and Baskin Robbins on Kiefer Boulevard in Sacramento.
● Miss Teen Pumpkin Fair Brooklynn Cockriel (Community Advocacy Speech); Brooking will receive a $250 scholarship. She is a 15 year old sophomore at Ripon High School. For her stages arts she presented a country line dance and for her community advocacy, Brooklyn will be expanding her “B the Change” initiative with the creation of “Seasons of Service,” a fundraiser calendar that includes monthly volunteer service opportunities and challenges for her peers to use. She will donate the funds from the calendar to organizations selected by the top two volunteers in the program. She was sponsored by Bumpboxx and Cindy Foster with Re/Max Real Estate.
● Miss Young Pumpkin Fair Malynne Myers (Personality Interview); Malynne is 10 years old, in the 5th grade at Great Valley Academy in Salida, and will receive a $100 scholarship. For her stage arts, Malynne presented a demonstration in ASMR including showing various soothing sounds using common objects like a hairbrush and turning pages of a magazine. She was sponsored by Jeff Zellner of Manteca Insurance and Financial Services.
Placing third in the teen division was Alani Mullenix (Stage Arts — perfect score), a 14-year old freshman at Sierra High School, who was crowned as Miss Teen Winter Fest and will earn a $125 scholarship. For her stage arts, Alani earned a perfect score from the judges panel for her vocal performance. For her advocacy project, she will once again host a canned food drive for Second Harvest Food Bank of the Greater Valley. She was sponsored by Kuy E. Ky, DDS, Inc. In the coming year she will represent MYF at winter themed holiday events such as the Twilight Holiday Parade, Community Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony and Manteca Parks & Recreation Breakfast with Santa.
Additionally non-finalist All-Star Team scholarships were awarded to the following contestants. They will also serve as representatives of MYF during the coming year and serve the community with significant contributions at their signature events and projects.
● Adrianna McBroom (Academic Achievement). Adrianna is a 17-year old senior at Manteca High School who presented a volleyball demonstration for her stage arts which showcased her power hitting technique and will host a donation drive and assist with adoption events for Pets & Pals Shelter in Lathrop for her advocacy project.. She will receive a $100 scholarship and was sponsored by Athletic Perfection, Sheryl Wallin, Jennifer Batchler, and the McBroom family.
● Autumn Nava (Volunteer Service). Autumn is a 15-year old sophomore attending Delta Charter High School. She will receive a $75 scholarship and presented a visual arts demonstration of her collection of “Alebrijes” masks and figures which she hand-painted for her talent. For her advocacy project, she is currently wrapping up a month-long “virtual baby” shower collecting diapers, wipes and other baby care items for donation to expectant mothers via the Manteca Pregnancy Help Center, where she also plans to volunteer in the office in the coming year. She was sponsored by Randy & Trudy Moore, Judy Hall, Mary Carrier, and Nick Nava.
● Elizabeth Neumer (Volunteer Service). Elizabeth is a 14-year old freshman at Sierra High School. She will also receive a $75 scholarship and presented a soccer demonstration breaking down several strategic moves that players can use on the field. For her advocacy project, she will host a donation drive for medical care to serve those in need. She was sponsored by The Vintage Barber Company and Romans Steam Cleaning.
These are the winners of the various special awards.
Talent “Imagination” Award Winners: (highest score in stage arts phase of competition)
● Arveen Birdi, Senior Division (perfect score)
● Alani Mullenix, Teen Division (perfect score)
● Ariceli McBroom, Young Division
Academic Achievement “Resiliency” Award Winners: (highest score in academic achievement phase of competition)
● Adrianna McBroom, Senior Division
● Mallory Myers, Teen Division
● Ariceli McBroom, Young Division
Volunteer Service “Kindness Matters” Award Winners: (highest score in volunteer service phase of competition)
● TIE – Adrianna McBroom & Arveen Birdi, Senior Division
● Elizabeth Neuner, Teen Division
● Trenton Bradshaw, Young Division
Most Inspirational Award Winners: (as voted by the contestants)
● Brooklyn Cockriel, Teen Division
● Malynne Myers, Young Division
In the senior division (ages 16-20), this award takes on additional significance, as it is dedicated in loving memory to Breanne Wigginton.
Breanne was one of the original youth participants in MYF programs in the mid-90's. She competed at the teen and adult levels, never having earned a title on stage. However, she did win the most inspirational award each time. In 1998, she was selected as Miss Pumpkin Fair mid-year just weeks before the fair, as MYF entered a partnership with the Manteca Sunrise Kiwanis to have our alternates serve as their titleholders. Breanne was crowned, very humbly and without fanfare, in the then director Carol Noceti's living room alongside the teen alternate, Lacey Chamberlain.
Both girls were overjoyed to have this honor and set a new standard for sportsmanship, humility and grace. Breanne was a talented artist, musician and loving mother of 2. After high school she went on to serve our country in the military and also entered the sheriff's academy. Tragically, her light was extinguished much too soon. In 2019, the MYF Board of Directors voted to rename the senior division inspirational award in her honor and Johanna Lott was selected as the first recipient of that award. This year's recipient continues in the footsteps of previous winners to carry on their legacy of loving kindness. Congratulations to Arveen Birdi for this tremendous honor.
The “People’s Choice Award” winner was chosen via a fundraiser voted on by members of the audience. While it has no bearing on the overall outcome of the competition, it is a fun way for the family of the contestants to show their support and also help raise money for the MYF scholarship fund. The prize includes a fun basket of gift cards and prizes to enjoy. This year Scott Whitby was chosen as the recipient.
The show’s theme was “Choose Kindness” and the bootcamp held the week prior touched on various character building activities in the areas of kindness, caring, integrity, imagination, resilience, and courage. The theme was inspired by Jordyn Moore, a young woman with autism who sparked a world-wide viral sensation with her “Be Kind to Everyone” shirts. The contestants wore Jordyn’s shirts as they delivered their Community Advocacy Speech presentations, which each contestant will carry out in the coming year.
The show also included many beloved MYF alumni who served in years past including local favorite Matt Vaughan, who once again took on hosting duties and Kristina (Priest) Stamper, who assisted with the on-stage questions and as a guest vocalist. Vaughan is a past “triple medal” winner having served as Young, Teen & City Ambassador. Stamper is a former Miss Manteca and Miss Pumpkin Fair. Both Vaughan and Stamper also went on to serve as state level titleholders.
The competition, under the direction of Douglas Scott, Kristin Scott, Shim Lacy and Amanda Rosas, also featured reigning Miss Manteca Sydnee Navarro, Miss Teen Manteca Katie Kotch, Miss Young Pumpkin Fair Lauren Cross and Miss Winter Fest Johanna Lott. Rounding out the leadership team who passed their titles onto new captains include Teen Manteca City Ambassador Ace Sulek, who was unable to attend the competition, and Miss Young Manteca Mallory Myers, who competed and won the teen division. Navarro and her fellow All-Star Captains have actually served an historic two years when their original reign was extended as the board of directors was forced to cancel the 2020 contest due to COVID restrictions. “We were so incredibly excited to once again host a LIVE competition for the community and Mr. Scott and his team put together an incredible show that was a spectacular showcase that just blew everyone away,” shared Lacy, who is also serving as 2021 board president. MYF will be awarded nearly $6,000 in educational scholarships this year.
The Manteca Scholarship Competition is a reimagining of the original Miss Manteca Pageant that started back in 1968 with the crowning of Karla Bishop as the first Miss Manteca by the Manteca Chamber of Commerce.
In 1994, Manteca Youth Focus was created by former Miss Manteca director, Carol Noceti, and Lacy, a former Miss Manteca 1990. They took over the reins from the Manteca 4th of July Committee and transformed the former beauty pageant into a youth leadership and development program which in the last 27 years has awarded nearly $100,000 in educational scholarships. Contestants now compete in six phases of competition including Volunteer Service, Academic Achievement, Personality Interview, Community Advocacy Speech, Talent and On-Stage Questions. The program is open to youth between the ages of 10-20 from the greater Manteca community which includes the cities of Manteca, Lathrop & Ripon and the communities of French Camp, Weston Ranch (South Stockton) and River Islands.
MYF also offered special thank-yous to all of the volunteers & donors that helped make the event such a huge success.
● Chris & Gina Leonard, owners of Leonard Photography for providing portraits of our titleholders and contestants for use in the newspaper, programs, social networking promotions, etc.
● Manteca Floral for providing gorgeous floral arrangements for the entire All-Star Team
● The Manteca-Sunrise Kiwanis Club for providing financial support and endless encouragement to the Pumpkin Fair titleholders
● The staff of Cornerstone Community Church for going above and beyond to make us feel welcome in their beautiful facility
● City of Manteca & Manteca Mayor’s Committee on the Arts for providing free and discounted access to meeting facilities
● The Manteca Chamber of Commerce and Manteca Historical Society & Museum for hosting the All-Star Team for a special VIP tour of their facilities enabling them to learn more about the community in preparation for the competition.
“On behalf of my co-directors, Shim, Amanda & Kristin Scott and the entire Board of Directors of Manteca Youth Focus, I would like to thank our community for their continued support of MYF programs. With your support and encouragement we are truly making a difference in the lives of these young people,” Scott said n. He asks for the community’s help in continuing to spread the word about the scholarship, leadership & service opportunities available to young people in the greater Manteca community.
Additionally, the group is available to assist at community events. For more information contact Douglas Scott at (209) 612-0359) or email DScott@CornerstoneManteca.com
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