Jenna Martorana always thought pageants were about perfection.
The glitzy and glamorous contestants had to have the perfect look, the perfect personality and the perfect amount of poise.
Martorana will be the first one to tell you she’s not perfect. She’s long battled depression and anxiety, and has struggled with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder for most of her life.
But despite her imperfections, or perhaps because of them, she decided to try her hand at competing anyway. Seven years ago she entered her first pageant.
And on July 12, she earned her first crown.
The 30-year-old Wyomissing resident was named Ms Collegiate USA at a competition held at the University of Maryland. It was a moment of validation for Martorana, one that proved embracing your imperfections is far more fulfilling than striving for perfection.
“I was thinking that mental health is something that would hold me back because judges are looking for a titleholder that is ‘healthy’ and I still struggle,” she said. “As those with mental health issues know, there are many ups and downs.”
Confronting those oscillations has been an important part of Martorana’s life, and something she hopes to share with others facing similar struggles.
“Once I started competing I realized that I needed to be on that stage to be the representation that I never saw,” she said. “I wanted little girls to see someone who looks like them, who sounds like them, who has the same experiences as them.”
Martorana said she plans on using her new title to share important messages.
She’s looking forward to mentoring young women and showing them that all types of people, with all types of imperfections, can compete in pageants.
She also wants to continue to be an example for those struggling with mental health issues, proving that they are not things that must be kept in the dark.
“My hope is that people realize that mental illness is not something to be feared or scared to talk about,” she said. “I still live with mental health conditions, but they no longer define or control me.”
That’s also a message Martorana seeks to share through her day job.
She has worked as a substitute school counselor at Twin Valley, Exeter and Wilson school districts, and is looking for a permanent placement.
“Having struggled with my own mental health, I know what it feels like to be at school trying to hold it all together so no one knew what was going on behind the smile,” she said. “I want to be that positive influence and give students the guidance they need to understand that they don’t have to be perfect all the time.”
In addition to her counseling work, Martorana has authored three books for children designed to promote empowerment and mental health awareness.
Martorana said she has also partnered with the National Alliance on Mental Illness at the local, state and national levels to share her story at various events throughout the region and is excited to use her new platform to reach more people.
“I never imagined that a crown would help me find my purpose — but it did,” she said.
