There She Goes, Miss Preteen America

Adina Triolo of Basking Ridge is one extraordinary 12-year-old.

Sure, she knocks them dead in performances at Millburn's Paper Mill Playhouse, but she also gives up her time to travel with the Paper Mill Playhouse Junior All-Stars, performing at charity events for disabled children and senior citizens.

After a friend submitted her name for the New Jersey National Miss state pageant in 2007, she decided to go to that too.

Of course, the story doesn't end there. She went in cold turkey but came out as the winner of the talent portion and placed in the top five overall, earning a trip to the national pageant later that year.

"We didn't know anything about the pageant world before that," her mother Mandy said. "I didn't even know pageants existed for children, honestly. … And she placed in the top five, which I learned later on was a pretty huge feat." She wasn't done.

Adina finished as the fourth runner-up for National All-American Miss Junior Preteen Queen in 2007. She went back to the state pageant the following year and finished second runner up for state queen. Instead of going to nationals, she decided to compete in the Miss USA Preteen pageant in 2008, and yes, she won first place there.

Adina moved up an age group in the state pageant in 2009, won the actress and talent competitions and went straight through to nationals where she was crowned National All-American Miss Preteen Queen.

Adina and her royal sisters from all of the National Miss age categories were treated to a trip to the Miss America pageant this past Saturday.

Just spending five minutes talking to Adina is enough to impress. She speaks with the cool confidence of a top college graduate on a job interview, mixed with the youthful enthusiasm of a kid who is following her dreams.

"When I grow up I probably want to be a performer on Broadway, or maybe have my own TV show, I'm not quite sure yet, but anywhere it takes me I'll be happy with as long as I'm performing," Adina says.

The goals are not all hers however. She will also tell you, "I want to be an encouragement to girls to try new things," and when her photographer died suddenly of breast cancer a couple of years ago, Adina begged her mom to help her find a way to give back.

"We were all stunned because [her photographer] was only in her very early 40s," Mandy said. "She was like I want to do something, what can I do, what can I do, and I said honey, there's really nothing you can do, she's gone. She was only 10 at the time when it happened."

"We saw something in the mail, you know things come from the [Susan G.] Komen foundation all of the time, and she said can I volunteer? So I said yeah, we can do that. … She just wants to do everything, I don't know where she gets her energy," Mandy said.

That same energy was what got Adina into doing pageants as well. When the Triolo's first got their invitation to attend, it was Adina that convinced her mom to let her give it a try.

"When she got the card in the mail to come to the pageant, [I was] like oh my gosh, do we really want to get involved in this? [Adina] was begging me and I was like I don't think so, because you hear all the stuff, JonBenét Ramsey, that name popped up in my head as soon as I got the card. I was like oh no we're not doing this," Mandy said.

"I think that is the impression that most people have because they're not aware. I would have to say that this pageant system is very pure, for lack of a better word," Mandy continued. "Otherwise we just wouldn't do it. ... I just don't like nonsense."

No makeup is allowed for girls in the lower age categories, and the pageant directors stress that it is not a beauty contest. Girls are judged in a variety of categories for which they can voluntarily sign up. Adina's favorite is the interview, where each contestant gets time alone with each judge, whom ask her questions off of a resume the contestant prepares.

"It's a very fun pageant system and it's not all about beauty," Adina said. "It really helps you grow as a person and gives you life long skills …  and it's a lot of fun too."

Yet the success doesn't come without some hard work. Adina can spend at least an hour a day preparing for the national pageant, and her mom said the week before a major pageant, all she will be doing from the time she gets home to when she goes to sleep at night is practicing.

"The preparation is very stressful for me as a parent," Mandy said. "But she enjoys it, and we don't put any pressure on her, she just wants to do this. She is very focused."

Adina says she would like to continue to participate in pageants as she gets older, maybe even competing in Miss America pageant someday. She also recently auditioned and was accepted into a performance talent agency in New York City.

"I'm just really happy that she has grown and flourished as a person," Mandy said. "She has always had talent … but as far as helping her become a mature, caring individual, I would have to say that the pageant has helped her develop."