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Montgomery girl wins Ultimate International Junior Princess Pennsylvania

PHOTO PROVIDED Cali Harold, 4, 2023 Ultimate International Miss Junior Princess of Pennsylvania, will vie for the coveted crown of Ultimate International Junior Princess of the U.S. next summer.

Meet Cali Harold.

Little Cali, 4, of Montgomery, has a big title to defend as the 2023 Ultimate International Miss Junior Princess of Pennsylvania.

“If you ask her what her favorite part about pageantry is, she’ll tell you she loves dressing up and meeting new people,” said Toni Carrasquillo, Cali’s mother.

Cali’s first pageant was this past June at the River Fest Pageant in Montgomery park.

“When I first saw her in the River Pageant, I didn’t know what to expect, but she loved it. So then I asked her if she would like to try to go for Miss Pennsylvania and be an actual Junior Princess and do Princess duties and she was all about it,” Carrasquillo said.

“She believes she’s a princess, so this kind of made her dreams come true — feeling like a princess,” she added.

Next year, Aug. 31 through Sept. 3, Cali will compete for the title of Ultimate International Junior Princess of the United States at Sandler Center for the Performing Arts in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

“She has a lot of responsibility — she has to represent the title,” Carrasquillo said.

Cali will soon have a platform, where she will raise money for a good cause.

“We have to try to get sponsorships and donations from the community to support her being that we’re from this small area and she’s representing this area,” Carrasquillo said.

“She’s all about friendships. Being a friend is very important to her so she wants to spread her friendship out to others. We want to start something to prevent bullying, maybe create a program for kids to come together that feel that way and make them feel not alone,” Carrasquillo said.

“For her to have a title like this at such a young age, I’m taken aback by it. She’s touching lives every day. She loves meeting new people and she loves making people feel good about themselves. I just think this is a bigger opportunity for her to be able to do that for others,” Carrasquillo said.

All contestants are interviewed in front of a panel of four judges, Ultimate Fashion portion and Evening Gown portion.

“They are natural pageants. You’re judged on just being yourself and it doesn’t matter where you come from, what size you are, as long as you do and you bring 100% you to the event,” Carrasquillo said. “They judge you off your voice, your attitude and then the last percentage of it was an onstage question,” she added.

“At the end there is a scholarship. They also receive cash prizes, which she would like to put towards her platform. They also have trips, she’ll make appearances. It’s a pretty big deal for a four year old,” Carrasquillo said.

Cali is currently open to sponsors and donations.

“We’re going to be looking for sponsorship and starting a GoFundMe for her to be able to help with the cost of going international,” Carrasquillo said. “She’s super proud to be representing this area, she’s super proud to be from Montgomery and spreading her ideas and representing the title in this area for her,” she added.

To sponsor or send donations for Cali, email jaydenlandon09@gmail.com.

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