By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
OCEAN CITY – For Natalie Argento, it is a tale of perseverance. It took her four tries to become Junior Miss Ocean City. This Saturday evening, she wants her successor to know what follows is going to be the best year of her life.
“I never expected having two years of my dream job, the one I had been waiting for it,” Argento said. “I don’t regret a single thing that happened. It was insane. It was amazing.”
Argento, a rising senior at Ocean City High School, always liked pageants and followed Miss Americas. A half-dozen years ago when her friends were competing for Little Miss Ocean City, she decided to give it a shot.
But she didn’t.
“I just started getting into theater in our middle school. I thought I would try out for Little Miss in the last year I was eligible, which is when I was 11, but I completely chickened out,” she laughed. “I was scared. I was even more nervous going into Junior Miss at the youngest age (12), but I’m so glad I stuck with it. I have grown so much because of these pageants.”
Little Miss Ocean City is for girls ages 8 to 11. Junior Miss is for girls ages 12 to 15.
She tried three times to earn the title of Junior Miss, when she was 12, 13 and 14. Argento succeeded in her final year of eligibility.
“I was working for Junior Miss Ocean City for four years,” Argento said. “I was 12 years old when I started and it was my dream job from day one. I stepped out on stage when I turned 15 and I knew it was my last chance and I gave it my all.”
That was in 2019 on the Ocean City Music Pier stage.
When they announced her name as the winner, the words just wouldn’t come.
“I could not speak when I was crowned,” she said. “I was so excited.”
Two years later, with a reign extended because restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the pageants last year, she remains thrilled.
“It has given me such a big opportunity to grow within the community and I feel it has made me a better person,” Argento said.
The daughter of Dawn and George Argento of Ocean City, she and her fellow queens – Miss Ocean City Mary Grace Jamison and Little Miss Ocean City Antonella DiAntonio – made the most of their two years, even during the pandemic.
There weren’t a lot of formal events during the pandemic, “but we were able to give back as much as we could to our community. Everyone was dealing with such a hard time. Just being able to send cards to nursing homes and the service workers, we stayed involved with the community. It just changed our outlook on how the pandemic affected everyone,” she said.
A highlight of her tenure was being on a boat during Night in Venice with Jamison and DiAntonio. “That was the most fun I’ve had in a very, very long time. It was so much fun seeing all my friends watching from their houses and the captain of our boat was great. We were playing music,” she said. “It felt like a really good summer and getting back to normal. It was a blast.”
She was enjoying herself right up to the end, including at city events last week such as the Pamper Scamper.
“It was so much fun to see all these little girls and boys look up to us and be like, ‘Wow! They have a sparkly crown on.’ We feel like we’re role models and it’s great to see these little kids come out to these events and have someone to talk to and just have a blast while they’re down here during vacation.”
In addition to her role as Junior Miss, Argento likes all things theatrical. Not only has she performed in Ocean City High School productions, during her senior year she will be president of the Drama Guild. She’s also involved in the ASL Club, which does a spring production using American Sign Language. “I love being with the deaf community. It is a great experience being able to sign with them,” she said.
Planning to attend college next year, right now her top choice is West Chester University. She wants to major in child psychology and minor in theater.
Asked about her other hobbies, she said, “Just the singing, dancing and acting. That’s my life at this point.”
Because she was crowned at the upper limit of the pageant, and had two years as Junior Miss Ocean City, Argento is now 17 and has some advice to offer the younger contestants.
“When stepping into the interview, be yourself,” she said. “Pretend these judges are your friends. Never back down. Hold your confidence. Just be true to yourself when you’re on the stage. If you win or don’t win, (know) you deserve the title and you are amazing. It’s just so much fun to compete in these pageants and I really hope this pageant goes well and everyone has so much fun.”
“I think being older now and being able to crown someone a little younger than me I want to be able to tell them this is going to be the best year – or two, if the pandemic happens again,” she laughed. “This is going to be the best year of your life. Take advantage of the little moments and take tons of pictures. Create every memory you can. Of course I am so sad I have to give up the title, but I’m so excited for the next Junior Miss to succeed in her reign.”
Junior Miss Ocean City 2022
There are six young women competing for the title of Junior Miss Ocean City 2022: Callie Bellwoar, Ginger Mumman, Katie McAlister, McKenna Fleming, Summer Castro and Taylor Schneider.
The pageant begins at 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 21, at the Ocean City Music Pier. The girls will compete in interview, talent, gown and on-stage interview question. (The interview is done prior to the pageant.)
