Biography
Pageants
Gomes is a native of Bridgeport who now resides in Glastonbury, Connecticut. She was crowned Miss Connecticut 1999 on her first attempt at the crown on May 22, 1999, also winning the swimsuit, interview and talent awards. Her issue of concern as Miss Connecticut 1999 was "Peer Mentoring" and her talent was piano. She became a spokesperson for the National Mentoring Partnership, making over 200 appearances for that organization.
Gomes represented Connecticut at the Miss America 2000 pageant, placing in the top ten and becoming the first semi-finalist from her state in twenty years. The eventual winner was Heather French of Kentucky.
After passing on her title, Gomes competed twice for the Miss Connecticut USA title, placing 2nd runner-up in 2001 and 1st runner-up in 2002.
Education and Employment
During her year as Miss Connecticut, Sylvia continued her studies at the College of the Holy Cross, graduating Cum Laude in 2001 with a Bachelors in Art History. While at Holy Cross she became a member of the Alpha Sigma Nu Honor Society, the highest honor awarded on a Jesuit campus. She then landed the Dennis Kauff Memorial Fellowship, a full fellowship to study broadcast journalism at Boston University. She graduated in 2003 with a Master of Science in journalism.
Gomes is the recipient of the Boston University Award for Excellence in News Reporting and Producing, and won the Barnum oratorical contest first prize. She served the City of Bridgeport as a member of the ethics commission during 2001 and 2002.
Gomes married Daniel Duarte in 2003 and is now known as Sylvia Duarte. She is a stay-at-home mother of 7 and now resides in Glastonbury, CT.
Deidre Downs Gunn is an American physician and former beauty pageant titleholder. Downs was Miss Alabama 2004 and later was crowned Miss America 2005.
Shandi Ren Finnessey is an American actress, model, TV host and beauty queen. She is best known for winning the Miss USA title, as Miss Missouri USA. She previously held the title of Miss Missouri 2002 and competed in Miss America, where she won a preliminary award. She placed as first runner-up at the Miss Universe 2004 competition.
The Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria – often abbreviated as MBGN – is a pageant organised by Silverbird Group with the main purpose of sending representatives to international competitions. Originally known as Miss Universe Nigeria, it was renamed Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria after news publishers Daily Times lost their license to send delegates from rival contest Miss Nigeria to Miss World. Since 2005, the pageant has produced multiple representatives, but the MBGN World recipient is considered the overall winner. Miss Universe Nigeria was reestablished in 2023, breaking away from MBGN and operating as an entirely different pageant.
Kimberly Ann Pressler is an American sports reporter, businesswoman, model, and former Miss USA who currently works for FOX on Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) telecasts. Ms. Pressler has been featured in People Magazine, TIME, and voted one of Stuff Magazine.’s “101 Sexiest Women in the World.” Additionally, Pressler is also Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Dane Herron Industries, an award-winning, California-based company that specializes in the construction of dirt bike parks, skateparks, track building, event production and stunt coordinating, worldwide.
Christina Yvette Ellington Pares,, is a Charter school principal, beauty queen and entertainer in the tri-state area.
The Miss North Carolina competition selects the representative for the state of North Carolina to compete in the annual Miss America competition. The competition has been held in Raleigh every year since 1978. Prior to that, it was held in various locales including Charlotte, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Durham, Burlington, Wilmington, and Morehead City. Karolyn Martin of Charlotte was crowned Miss North Carolina 2022 on June 25, 2022, at High Point Theatre in High Point, North Carolina. She competed for the title of Miss America 2023 at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut in December 2022.
The Miss Wisconsin competition is the pageant, held annually in Oshkosh, that selects the representative for the U.S. state of Wisconsin in the annual Miss America pageant.
The Miss West Virginia competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the U.S. state of West Virginia in the Miss America Pageant.
The Miss Illinois is a pageant program affiliated with Miss America, which is competition for women models representing the state of Illinois.
The Miss Florida competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Florida in the Miss America pageant. Florida has twice won the Miss America crown.
The Miss Connecticut competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Connecticut in the Miss America pageant. Connecticut has won the Miss America crown once, and is the only New England state which has produced a Miss America.
The Miss Delaware competition is the pageant that selects the representative of Delaware in the Miss America pageant. The event takes place annually in the month of June and has previously been held in Rehoboth Beach at Convention Hall, and in the state capital of Dover, Delaware at the Dover Downs Hotel and Casino. Miss Delaware serves as the official hostess to the state of Delaware. In 2023, the pageant announced that it will be held at Harrington Raceway & Casino in Harrington.
Molly Line is an American news correspondent who works for Fox News Channel. Molly Line joined Fox News as a Boston-based correspondent in January 2006.
Miss Teen USA 1998, the 16th Miss Teen USA pageant, was televised live from Shreveport, Louisiana on 17 August 1998. At the conclusion of the final competition, Vanessa Minnillo of South Carolina was crowned by outgoing queen Shelly Moore of Tennessee.
Miss Teen USA 1997, the 15th Miss Teen USA pageant, was televised live from South Padre Island, Texas on 20 August, 1997. At the conclusion of the final competition, Shelly Moore of Tennessee was crowned by outgoing queen Christie Lee Woods of Texas.
For the state pageant affiliated with Miss Teen USA, see Miss Connecticut Teen USA
The most frequently presented Miss America awards are for preliminary talent and swimsuit. The talent award was introduced in 1936, and the swimsuit award in 1940. In the 2000s, preliminary awards for evening gown and interview were briefly introduced but were discontinued after two years as it was felt that they made the semi-finalists too predictable.
The United States has continuously sent a representative to Miss World since its inception in 1951. The United States has won the Miss World crown three times in 1973, 1990 and 2010. Currently, Miss World America is the official national pageant that selects the contestant from the United States to Miss World.
Colleen Ward is an American beauty pageant titleholder from Wolcott, Connecticut, who was crowned Miss Connecticut 2015. She competed for the Miss America 2016 title in September 2015.
The Miss America 2020 competition was held on Thursday, December 19, 2019. This was the 93rd Miss America pageant/competition, though the Miss America Organization celebrated its 99th anniversary in 2019. This discrepancy is due to national pageants not being held from 1928 to 1932 or in 1934 because of financial problems associated with the Great Depression.
