Joseph Pratt: Miss Ohio discusses sisterhood, being a first gen American and her mission

Jun. 21—Previous

Miss Portsmouth Baylee Joy Martin(left center) hugging Miss Shawnee and Miss Ohio Stephanie Finoti (right center) at the local pageant, just after being crowned.

Stephanie Finoti, Miss Ohio 2024

Miss Portsmouth Baylee Joy Martin(left center) hugging Miss Shawnee and Miss Ohio Stephanie Finoti (right center) at the local pageant, just after being crowned.

Stephanie Finoti, Miss Ohio 2024

Miss Portsmouth Baylee Joy Martin(left center) hugging Miss Shawnee and Miss Ohio Stephanie Finoti (right center) at the local pageant, just after being crowned.

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PORTSMOUTH- Another Miss Ohio Scholarship Program has come and gone, and, with no surprise, local women were representing the community once again in the pageant that advocates for the success and growth in young women who are perfectly poised and positioned to become future leaders.

According to Miss America representatives, "The Miss Ohio Scholarship Program (MOSP) is a not-for-profit organization that has a long history of empowering young women to achieve their personal and professional goals, while providing a forum for them to express their intelligence, opinions, talents and dedication to community service."

Scioto County representation included Baylee Joy Martin, Miss Portsmouth and Chloe Maybin, Miss Portsmouth's Teen. Both are from South Webster. Emily Cram, Miss River Days Festival from Minford; Faith Claypool, Miss Cincinnati, from Portsmouth; and Savanna Vaughters, Miss Greater Cleveland's Teen, from Wheelersburg also competed.

In addition to those Scioto County residents, Stephanie Finoti, Miss Shawnee, from Columbus, competed; as well as Olivia Fosson, Miss Ohio River, from Kitts Hill, Ohio.

Finally, MacKenzie Harner, Miss Shawnee's Teen, from St. Henry, Ohio was among the ranks.

Out of the contestants competing with ties to Scioto County, Miss Shawnee Stephanie Finoti was crowned Miss Ohio and Miss Ohio River Olivia Fosson was first runner-up. Baylee Joy Martin was also in the top ten.

"After months of preparation, our girls went into Miss Ohio week prepared and ready to show everyone what they've worked so hard to accomplish," Executive Director of the Miss Shawnee and Miss Portsmouth Scholarship Program Regina Speas said. "I am so proud of all of them. All our girls placed in the semifinals placing Top five and Top 10! Altogether, our girls won approximately $20,000 in scholarships, and, to top it off, Stephanie won the Miss Ohio title! I can't wait to watch her at Miss America!"

Contestant Miss Portsmouth Baylee Joy Martin recently reflected on her time at Miss Ohio, as she prepares for new stages of her life. She spoke to the Times in an exclusive after-pageant interview.

"I'm so grateful to have been a part of this organization for the past five years," Martin said. "I've had the honor of placing top 10 twice and top five twice, and, regardless of my placement, I've always felt that every year has made me better, this year being no exception."

Martin says that she was excited for 2024, because she took a risk in developing a new talent for the show, which was combining her incredible singing talent with ventriloquism. She's since fallen in love with the hobby and plans on continuing it as she travels and performs. Next month, Martin will be leaving for Charlotte, North Carolina to attend flight attendant training for four weeks. Following this, she says that she will be moving to a new city and starting a new life.

"Ohio has been so good to me and will always be my home but I'm ready for the next adventure," Martin claimed.

Regardless of outcome, she had a lot to reflect on when looking back at Miss Ohio.

"In conclusion, I am so grateful to my friends, community, coaches, and family for their endless support," Martin said. "I'm so excited to support Stephanie and her year in any capacity that I can. She is a phenomenal human and will be an inspirational Miss Ohio."

Finoti is a first generation American, with the immigration of her parents to the States just a year before she was born. This was her second time competing in the MOSP. Prior to these pageants, she competed between the ages of four to 17, in which she earned the titles of Little Miss Whitehall, Young Miss Whitehall, Junior Miss Whitehall and Miss Whitehall.

Miss Ohio Stephanie Finoti also spoke highly of Martin and her experiences with the other women in her pageant class when taking time to reflect with the Times.

"In my first year at the Miss Ohio Pageant, one of my closest friends was Miss Baylee Joy Martin. She is the one who encouraged me to compete in the Miss Shawnee Pageant, because she loved her director, Regina," Finoti said. "She knew I would love the quality of pageants Portsmouth has established and I was also wanting to see her hometown."

According to Finoti, her friendship with Martin and the other women is paramount to her, due to her love of sisterhood formed at these events.

"I would say that, out of the five points of the Miss America Crown, Sisterhood is my favorite. I don't have sisters or family living in the US, outside of my parents and little brother. So, I didn't have any cousins or big family. When I was in college, I didn't join a sorority and I also joined the STEM field, so it is primarily male dominated," Finoti explained. "I didn't have as many female friendships as I have liked."

According to Finoti, she was successful in finding the sisterhood she had been seeking.

"By that time, the local season had already finished, but I was encouraged to apply as a direct entry, which I did and competed in my first year. That's how I met Baylee Joy Martin and she has since become one of my closest friends. We met at camp, and she just has this bright and bubbly personality. We're both very talkative and have a lot of energy and we clicked over the week. Since day one, she has told me she sees Miss Ohio in me."

After last year's pageant, Martin made it to the top five and Finoti made it to the top 10. Martin then encouraged Finoti to go after the crown with her a second time, asking her to visit Portsmouth and compete for Miss Shawnee. While Finoti applied to be a direct contestant last year in the MOSP, she decided to enter again, this year with Martin and with a title of her own to guide her along the way.

"It was my first local competition, so it was nice having Baylee there by my side. I think one of my favorite moments of the year was me and Baylee winning Miss Shawnee and Miss Portsmouth. We both thought it would be so funny if we both won titles and we spent the day supporting each other throughout the day between interviews, makeup, wardrobe, everything," Finoti recalled. "She went third and I was second in the lineup, so we were always holding hands and pushing each other along. I think we let out a few screams on stage when we both won titles that day. I think the sisterhood was very obvious there, it was one of my favorite moments; I'll always remember Portsmouth in that light."

The final night of Miss Ohio, just as Finoti was announced and then crowned, she says she couldn't help but look back on Martin and the other women supporting her through her victory.

"Most people, when they get crowned, they look out to the audience as they receive their sash and crown. If you were there, or were watching the video, you'll see the first thing I did was turn around and look at the 26 other women in my class," Finoti said. "I truly felt like if I didn't have the love and support of those women all week, instilling in me the belief that I was enough for Miss Ohio, then I would not have done as well in the competition and I would not have gained that title. I looked back and saw all of the women looking at me and smiling, and, in that moment, felt so loved and supported."

Of course, the pageantry isn't all about sisterhood for our new Miss Ohio, despite it being one of her most admired aspects of the program. She also takes her ability to champion her cause and platform further along quite seriously, as it is a defining cornerstone of her identity and how she lives her life.

Her platform is "That STEM Girl," which is dedicated to her non-profit by the same name.

The organization and platform strives to empower and prepare marginalized young women to enter the STEM field, according to Finoti.

"I work with a majority of minority women, so black and Latina women, and I give them the resources they need to enter the STEM workforce and become emerging leaders in healthcare," Finoti explained. "It is about bridging the gap in medicine and addressing health disparities in these minority communities."

Finoti says she is looking into hosting health events for communities in need as well, citing examples of her youth as a driving force behind the desire to see equitable opportunities for all.

"My mother, when she was pregnant with my little brother, received services from a free Latina clinic we used to go to," Finoti said "Because of their immigrant status, they couldn't even qualify for Medicaid. I remember, every year, the only time my parents could get their cholesterol and blood pressure checked and all those other basic checkup tasks performed was because of open clinics. So, it is very important to me to advocate for these communities."

Finoti's background and family played a major role in shaping her, including her desire to compete for Miss America.

"My parents immigrated here, to the US. They travelled here a year before I was born and one of the early things my mother got into was pageantry. She liked watching it on television. It was kind of her dream that, since I'm a first generation American, then how cool would it be if I had a chance at Miss America."

With that, Finoti says her mother placed her in pageants at a young age and she grew up watching Miss America.

"It was always this lifelong goal and dream of mine because of my mother. We had always lived in Ohio, so I knew if I ever got to compete, then I would be representing Ohio, a state in which I was born, raised, and set my roots in. With all that Ohio has done for me, I am happy to represent Ohio in this way."

Finoti is ready to take her crown across the state in the coming months to become even more engrained in her home state before traveling for Miss America.

"As the first Latina Miss Ohio," Finoti said, "I aim to break barriers and serve as the representation needed for young girls to feel included, regardless of their background, race, ethnicity, or culture."

Reach Joseph Pratt at (740) 353-3101, by email at jpratt@aimmediamidwest.com, © 2024 Portsmouth Daily Times, all rights reserved.