‘I want to be the next Katie Couric.’
Jacqueline Bruno dreams of being the next broadcast celebrity. She dreams of leaving the Boston University College of General Studies to study broadcast journalism in the College of Communication. But she also has dreams of becoming the next Miss Teen USA.
That’s right Miss Teen USA.
It should not be a difficult task for the 17-year-old freshman, who was crowned Miss Massachusetts Teen USA. Just over two weeks ago. Bruno competed against 100 other girls from around the state during the two-day pageant.
Bruno has not been participating in pageants for long. This competition was only her fourth, and two of the previous ones were local pageants, which she had to win to move on to the state level.
‘Being 17, it was really just experience for this pageant,’ she said of the local competitions.
Last year she also competed in the Miss Massachusetts Teen competition and took the runner-up spot, which she said made her work harder in preparation this year. She said coming to college presented some challenges to getting ready for the competition.
‘I was so worried about the ‘freshman 15,” she said.
Bruno said she followed strict diets in preparation for this pageant and even worked with Al Thurston, the head of the National Body Building Association. Bruno said she will be working even more with him in the coming year.
She said she plans on making a lot of appearances between now and next August, which is when the national competition is set to take place. Such appearances include organizing a fashion show for kids in Roxbury and going to elementary schools to discuss drug awareness.
‘Working with the young kids is important,’ she said. ‘When you put on the crown you have a different voice than you used to.’
Since the competition, Bruno said she has not seen many people treat her differently, but she said going home for Thanksgiving was interesting. She noted that many people would come up and congratulate her, most of whom she never would have talked to in high school.
The pageant will not affect her life at BU, she said. She said she is prepared to put in the time and effort it takes to participate, but would not let the pageant affect her school work.
‘Education is my number one priority,’ she said. ‘If I win, I will have to take a year off from school. I would definitely come back and continue doing what I am doing, though.’
She said she thinks the pageant will help out with her broadcast journalism career, citing many pageant winners who have gone on to have jobs in that field.
‘I know I have to start off small,’ she said. ‘I want to use the pageant to open up opportunities in broadcast journalism.’
While she said winning is on her mind, she is keeping everything in perspective and remembering how she got to this level.
‘Hard work is the way to go,’ she said.
As for her experiences in CGS, Bruno said they have been fun and enjoys the school and the teams with which she works.
‘I really like CGS, the programs here are helping me with my writing,’ she said. ‘It is kind of a repeat of high school in a way. Working with the teams makes BU feel smaller in a way.’
Last year the Miss Teen USA contest was held in South Padre Island, Texas. This year, because of the merger between Donald Trump’s company and NBC, the location has yet to be determined.
‘I am hoping it is someplace warm,’ Bruno said.
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