LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Some women work their whole life for a chance to be Miss America, but a local girl already got that opportunity and she's only 11 years old.
"I’m holding the title of National American Miss Nevada Pre-Teen," said Vivianna Valenti, this month's 13 MVP.
"My mom actually got me into pageants just to be more confident and just to do it for fun. But then, I actually won, so then I got into the whole pageant thing and I just did more and more pageants over the years," said Valenti.
She's only been competing in pageants for a few years, but at age 11, Vivianna's already won multiple titles and was named runner up in the National American Miss pageant, despite being the youngest out of more than 100 girls competing in her division.
"My favorite part is definitely hanging out with all the girls. Like I said, I made a lot of friendships," said Valenti.
But pageants are just part of the pie for Vivianna. She also plays the piano and won female athlete of the year at Faith Lutheran Middle School, mostly for running the fastest mile and her skill and speed on the soccer pitch and flag football field.
"When you’re a really good team, it’s just fun scoring a whole bunch of goals, winning all the games, and I just love all the teamwork in soccer," said Valenti.
She's also extremely focused on getting good grades, and her hard work is paying off.
"I have straight A’s," said Valenti with a smile.
She's particularly proud of her community service work volunteering with several organizations, including the Just One Project, helping feed food-insecure families in southern Nevada.
"You actually get to hand out the food to the people and I love doing that. It’s my favorite because you actually get to see the smiles on their faces and it just lights me up," said Valenti.
And when asked why she's so mature for her age, she credits her family and the lessons she's learned from the pageant system.
"When somebody came up to me, I would kinda be a little shy," said Valenti, describing herself before she competed in pageants. "But now, I say, 'Hi!' and I have more confidence and social skills, so pageants really helped."
Right now, Vivianna says she's stepping back a bit from the pageants and is focusing on her acting skills. But, she says her goal when she grows up is to be a zoologist because she loves animals.
