TINIAN — “I know a lot of people may think that because of the Covid-19 pandemic, a lot of us are missing out [on opportunities],” said Miss Marianas Shannon Tudela Sasamoto who was one of the special guests of the island’s Pika Festival over the weekend.
Miss Marianas Shannon Tudela Sasamoto poses for Variety at the Tinian Pika Festival grounds on Saturday.
Photo by Bryan Manabat
“I think it’s about creating your own opportunities and being your own inspiration and working hard,” she added.
Sasamoto said, “As a woman of the Northern Marianas I have adapted and I will be resilient no matter what. I will keep challenging myself, and whatever challenges I face I will overcome them. That is my hope — for me and the next Queen.”
Eight contestants are vying for this year’s Miss Marianas Pageant set for March: Vincent Rabasto, Lily Carrillo, Toremy Diaz, Naomi Lizama, Ha’Ane Eugenio, Bernadette Horey, Richelle Ramon and Savannah Delos Santos.
The pageant is organized by Stellar Marianas, a non-profit organization.
“All our candidates believe in our organization,” said Sasamoto who was 19 when she was crowned Miss Marianas in June 2019. Her reign was extended for a year because the Covid-19 pandemic canceled the pageant last year.
“I told the candidates at the orientation that yes, there is one Queen, but at the end of the day we are all queens because of how we present ourselves, how we treat others, our compassion, and our different individual situations that we go through,” Sasamoto said.
And although tourism has been affected by the pandemic, she is “really grateful that our community continues to respect the guidelines by following the different social restrictions.”
She said, “Nobody is refusing to wear a mask, nobody is refusing to follow any of the guidelines or regulations…and we are all here for each other….at the end of the day…as one people — we are all one family and one community.”
