Some dreams really do come true, and 13-year-old Angela DiGiovanni’s dream of competing in a pageant will be fulfilled over the weekend of July 11, when she will be at the Hyatt Regency Miami for the Miss Florida Pre-Teen Beauty Pageant for South Florida.
DiGiovanni isn’t your typical pageant contestant. From an early age, despite strong effort and therapy, she has struggled with skills such as reading, writing and math. Though she and her family understand that those skills may never be fully developed, DiGiovanni fights the challenges presented to her and excels in other areas of her life.
Currently attending the Wilson Academy, a unique school in Royal Palm Beach offering special needs services, as well as advanced programs for those who excel in a smaller educational environment, DiGiovanni is flourishing. She is part of a program offering a curriculum that is geared toward how she learns best. Though her learning status is at the first-grade level, she has extraordinary skills regarding awareness and perception. These skills have enabled her to have positive social engagement with her peers and adults.
As part of her occupational therapy, DiGiovanni has performed in three dance recitals and has performed in a choreographed artistic equestrian therapy session with children of all ages and skill levels.
Some of DiGiovanni’s favorite activities include dancing, singing, swimming, shopping, exercising, playing dress-up, visiting the beach and enjoying time with her sister and friends.
Sponsored by her friends and family, DiGiovanni will be competing in a pageant program that focuses on poise, presentation and inner beauty with an emphasis on “the importance of gaining self-confidence, learning new skills, learning good attitudes about competition, and setting and achieving personal goals.”
Though the winner receives a crown, banner, roses, a $1,000 cash reward and airfare to compete in the national pageant in California, the opportunity to participate excites DiGiovanni the most.
“I am so excited to be chosen for the National American Miss Florida Pre-Teen Pageant,” she said. “It’s a dream come true for me.”
ABOVE: Angela DiGiovanni
