New Bedford High student crowned Miss Massachusetts’ Teen 2023

At just 17 years old Emma Gibney has quite an impressive resume, many accolades and achievements, most recently she added a sash to the collection as she was crowned Miss Massachusetts' Teen 2023 on May 7 at the 23rd annual competition.

The junior at New Bedford High School takes all Advance Placement and Honors classes, is a member of the National Honor Society, the Mayor’s Youth Council, the Whaler Wave, the Great Outdoors and the Key Club as well as being the Class of 2024 Historian. When she’s not hitting the books, the teen is hitting tennis balls as co-caption of the girls varsity tennis team where she was the Southcoast Player of the Week and a member of the Southcoast All-Star team.

How did you get your start in pageants?

Many girls start pageantry at a young age, but that wasn’t the case for Gibney.

“I was super, super, shy as a kid and it was very hard for me to even get on the stage for a dance recital never mind a pageant,” Gibney recalled.

It wasn’t until her mother Nicole Gibney, who was Junior Miss as a teen, began reminiscing over photos from her competition days that she was encouraged to give it a try and she fell in love.

Gibney joined the Miss America pageants in October of 2022 by competing in her hometown Miss New Bedford Outstanding Teen and just fell in love with the organization and all it stood for. It led her to continue to compete until she won Miss Worcester County Outstanding Teen and then won third runner-up at states. This solidified her passion for the stage as she realized, “Wow, I’m pretty good at this.”

This gave her the confidence to pursue her dream title of Miss Massachusetts’ Teen in which she competed as Miss Blackstone Valley’s Teen and was able to cinch the win against 19 other hopefuls from across the Commonwealth.

What was the experience like?

The day of the competition is stressful. The girls got to Durfee High School early in the morning to begin the interview process -  taking hours for each contestant to complete this portion. It is also really fun, Gibney said, “We get to really bond with each other and grow that relationship with each other as sister queens, and it’s really cool to get that experience together.”

The competition itself feels like it lasts only a few minutes with quick changes and so many moving parts. Then Gibney had what she calls her "Steve Harvey moment" with a whirlwind of emotions of shock and happiness not really believing that she had won the coveted title.

Which part of the competition was your favorite?

The interview was Gibney’s favorite part. “I love everything in the competition equally, I think they are all fun to compete in but I think the interview is where I really show the judges how much I love the organization and how much I care for my community service initiative.”

Interviewing allows her to show her humor and personality to the judges as well as the ability to see them as regular people and not just people judging from behind a table. She credits the organization for helping her grow as a person stating that the interviews and fast thinking while answering questions have given her more confidence in public speaking.

What is your community service initiative?

While each girl in the competition has a community service initiative to advocate for during their reign, Gibney’s is an extremely personal one for her. She will dedicate her year of service to S.T.A.Y: Start the Awareness Young Suicide Prevention in honor of her cousin Tyler who lost his long battle with mental health.

When she joined the Miss America Organization she knew she could make a difference and wanted to use her large platform for something she really cared about. She channeled what she would be able to do to help other people and in the process, it has changed her own view on mental illness knowing she can help people who feel the exact same way. She wanted people who are experiencing a hard time to see "me going out there with a crown and a sash, someone who seems quite perfect saying I struggle too and having it resonating with people.”

The initiative aims to start awareness young, she goes into elementary schools and talks to students about mental health and how to cope with feelings they may have started to feel but don’t know how to express them. The goal is to bring resources and coping skills to the younger generation that they can use throughout tough experiences.

What do you hope to accomplish during your reign?

More mental health awareness will be key during Gibney’s reign, “to make sure other people know it’s okay not to be okay, that what you are experiencing is only temporary and to continue to fight through it...that you are not alone and that you can turn your pain into purpose.“

Gibney is also in the process of writing two books, one a children’s book to explain how these feelings come about and how to handle them internally. In turn, it then teaches how to help other people who are feeling those same feelings with the skills you have learned. The other is a compilation of poems from different experiences and feelings that she has had that she believes will help others.

What’s next for Gibney?

Gibney is headed to the Miss America’s Teen competition in January of 2024 where she will represent Massachusetts. She is excited to compete on the Miss America stage referring to how lucky she feels to have this unique opportunity as she reflected on a saying that is popular within the pageant, “Parents are more likely to have a son play in the Super Bowl than they are to have a daughter compete on the Miss America stage.”

She is most looking forward to having fun with all the other girls and creating friendships throughout the country – knowing how special it will be to have a friend from each state. She can’t wait for the once-in-a-lifetime experience and the memories she will be able to make and cherish.

Her future scholastic plans are to obtain a bachelor’s degree in marine biology and become a Marine Biologist.

To someone who wants to join the pageants, Gibney’s advice is, “Do it, don’t overthink it.” Gibney continued “You won't regret having that experience whether you win or not, it takes a lot of confidence and gives you the ability to be yourself which is an achievement within itself.”

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: New Bedford High student crowned Miss Massachusetts’ Teen 2023