Community Corner
Local Woman Crowned 'Community Queen' at Pageant
Andrea Lebedinski was a finalist in the Miss Long Island pageant.
took home the title of "Community Queen" at Sunday's Miss Long Island pageant at the Patchogue Theater for the Performing Arts.
The 25-year-old Setauket resident said she was honored to be named one of two Community Queens, an award which recognizes exceptional commitment to community service.
"From volunteering, to fundraising for a specific charity or foundation, to being a proud advocate for a given organization, I have always found myself gravitating towards opportunities where I could 'give back,'" Lebedinski said.
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She represented the charity Red Watch Band, a Stony Brook University-based charity which she described as "an awareness program for the prevention of toxic drinking."
She was also one of three Sponsorship Award winners after fulfilling a sponsorship requirement in the competition.
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More than 370 young women across Long Island applied for a spot in this year's Miss Long Island and Miss Long Island Teen pageant. Nineteen finalists competed for the crown.
The pageant, run by Dazzle D Productions, consists of several sections and helps prepare the delegates for entry into the New York State pageants. The delegates first completed an extensive interview process throughout the day with the judges.
During the evening portion of the pageant, friends and family cheered as the young women modeled in swimsuits and evening gowns. After the top five finalists for each division was announced, the chosen delegates were asked to answer one final question.
Jessica Pinckney of Manhasset won the Miss Long Island 2012 crown, while Sabrina Mastrangelo of Bellmore was named Miss Long Island Teen 2012.
Lebedinski said she wasn't disappointed in the outcome. It was her first pageant. But perhaps she has pageantry in her blood; her grandmother, Clara Keane, was named Miss Port Jefferson in 1947.
"Overall, I have to say that the Miss Long Island 2012 pageant was a great experience ... I went into it with the mindset that I was going to give it my best effort and just be myself," she said.