By SHIM LACY
Today, a new Miss Manteca and Manteca City Ambassador will be crowned to lead a promising new batch of young leaders at the 2025 Manteca Youth Focus Scholarship Competition.
The competition, under the direction of MYF President, Douglas Scott, will take place at 3 p.m. at Calvary Community Church in Manteca.
Fifteen outstanding young people of achievement ages 16-20 will compete for educational scholarships and the chance to lead as captains of the MYF All-Star Student Service Team.
The Teen Division show will take place at 9:30 a.m. It will feature thirteen exceptional teen boys and girls ages 13-15 competing for the title of Miss Teen Manteca and Teen Manteca City Ambassador.
The modern day MYF Scholarship Competition started as the Miss Manteca beauty pageant initiated by the Manteca Chamber of Commerce in 1968 with the crowning of Karla Anderson-Bishop as the very first Miss Manteca.
The chamber continued coordinating the annual pageant for two decades when they passed the program on to the Manteca 4th of July Celebration from 1987 to 1994. It was at that time that Manteca Youth Focus was formed for the purpose of taking on the leadership of the program which has continued today.
MYF continues to honor the earlier queens, inviting them back to don their crowns and walk the stage with their “History of Excellence,” a living timeline that pays tribute to the unique leadership roles shared by these queens and titleholders.
This year, MYF will honor Gayle Myers Green, Miss Manteca 1975, who will serve as the moderator for the Communicative Skills (impromptu question) phase of on-stage competition. Gale received her crown on July 4, 1975 during the city’s Fourth of July celebration at the Manteca High football field — a memory she still holds dear.
MYF is delighted to welcome back additional alumni who will return for the special History of Excellence and who also serve in the cast and crew of the show including current titleholders Juelicia Roman - Miss Manteca 2024, Jaden Gallego - Manteca City Ambassador 2024, Claire Carroll - Miss Teen Manteca 2024, Nihar Jain - Teen Manteca City Ambassador 2024, Sophia Costa - Miss Watermelon Street Faire 2024, Danett Cesante - Miss Teen Watermelon Street Faire 2024, Elizabeth Neuner - Miss Winter Fest 2024, Izabella Neuner - Miss Teen Winter Fest 2024, Avani Shaw - Miss Young Winter Fest 2024, and past titleholders Molly Dua - Miss Manteca 2022, Arveen Birdi - Miss Manteca 2021, Sydnee Navarro - Miss Manteca 2019-20, Amanda Durbin - Miss Manteca 2012, and Dr. Amber Campbell - Miss Manteca 2000.
As stated in their mission statement, the MYF Scholarship Competitions seek to “develop young leaders through the pursuit of higher education, development of personal talents and service throughout the community.”
The phases of competition were designed to reflect these values and now include Community Service and Scholastic Achievement as the highest ranking phases; the remaining phases in order of importance include, Personality Interview, Communicative Skills (aka impromptu questions onstage during mock press interview), Stage Arts and Speech.
The “pageant rehearsals” morphed into workshops in the areas of leadership development, resume-writing, interview skills, public speaking and dress for success. The 2025 contestants have spent the last two months attending these workshops as well as a “boot camp” this week to not only prepare them for the competition but more importantly to build transferable professional and life skills that will help them succeed in the future.
Family and friends can also participate in our People's Choice Award Fundraiser. To vote for your favorite contestant, find their 4-digit People’s Choice ID listed below and text myf2025 to (843) 606-5995. Each vote is $10. This award has no bearing on the outcome of the competition.
The prize package now includes a $5,000 educational scholarship for Miss Manteca and Manteca City Ambassador and additional scholarships for top 4 placements. All participants earn a minimum scholarship regardless of their final rank in the competition. This year’s participants include:
The 2025 Manteca City Ambassador Candidates are as follows:
*Sasidhar Jasty, Age 15, People’s Choice ID: 0116, Stage Arts: App Demo, Sponsored by The Jasty Family
*Abhimanyu Nair, Age 15, People’s Choice ID: 0117, Stage Arts: Acoustic Guitar and Pop Vocal, Sponsored by Lodi Wine Trolley
*Shalom Kohinoordeep Singh, Age 13, People’s Choice ID: 0118, Stage Arts: Bhangra Dance, Sponsored by Lallria Real Estate, the Bhangra Institute, and Imperial Truck & Trailer Repair & Wash
*Spandan Nikam, Age 13, People’s Choice ID: 0119, Stage Arts: Rap Vocal, Sponsored by On the Scene Cuisine, County Supervisor Sonny Dahliwal, Royal Designs, and Primerica Financial Services
*Harshith Kumar, Age 15, People’s Choice ID: 0120, Stage Arts: Tennis Demo, Sponsored by The Kumar Faily, Habibi's International Market, and Leonard Photography
*Harsh Vardhan Konduru, Age 15, People’s Choice ID: 0121, Stage Arts: Bansuri, Sponsored by Patrice Hoffman - Realtor and Kristin Scott Vocal Lessons
*Arnim Kanojiya, Age 13, People’s Choice ID: 0122, Stage Arts: Cultural Dance, Sponsored by Dr. Romy Singh, DDS and Bagri Produce
The 2025 Miss Teen Manteca Contestants are as follows:
*Morgan Silva, Age 13, People’s Choice ID: 0123, Stage Arts: Cheer Dance, Sponsored by Mane & Co Salon of Manteca
*Paayal Kumari, Age 13, People’s Choice ID: 0124, Stage Arts: HipHop Dance, Sponsored by Moore's Martial Arts Academy of Manteca
*Yannis Ang, Age 13, People’s Choice ID: 0125, Stage Arts: Violin, Sponsored by Surgical Artistry, Dr. Calvin Lee MD, and Sondance Christian Dance School
*Kayleigh Douglas, Age 14, People’s Choice ID: 0126, Stage Arts: Acro Cheer Dance, Sponsored by Mike & Cathy West
*Nikitha Muruganagarajan, Age 15, People’s Choice ID: 0127, Stage Arts: Pop Vocal, Sponsored by Live By Lean
*Zainab Sami, Age 14, People’s Choice ID: 0128, Stage Arts: Dance, Sponsored by Sharon Sami and New Smile Orthodontics
The 2025 Manteca City Ambassador Candidates are as follows:
*Prajwal Nagendra, Age 16, People’s Choice ID: 0101, Stage Arts: Piano, Sponsored by Family & Friends
*Shaurya Khairmode, Age 16, People’s Choice ID: 0102, Stage Arts: Piano, Sponsored by Family & Friends
*Nihar Jain, Age 16, People’s Choice ID: 0103, Stage Arts: Musical Theater, Sponsored by Aksland Real Estate, American Legion McFall Grisham Post 249, Besitos Fine Cuisine, Cornerstone Creative Arts, Councilman Charlie Halford, Councilman David Breitenburcher, Councilman Mike Morowit, Councilwoman Regina Lackey, Gamer’s Path, Junoon Sweets & Bakers, Manteca Property Services, Marco Galeazzi w/ Hershey, Precision Automotive of Manteca, Richard Silverman, Staybridge Suites Manteca, Toste & Associates, and Veterans of Foreign Wars Jimmie Connors Post 6311
*Marcus Ang, Age 15, People’s Choice ID: 0104, Stage Arts: Piano, Sponsored by Dr. Jeremy West w/ West Orthodontics
*Sai Nellutla, Age 15, People’s Choice ID: 0105, Stage Arts: Poetry Reading, Sponsored by The Nellutla Family
*Kushaagra Patel, Age 16, People’s Choice ID: 0106, Stage Arts: Acoustic Guitar, Sponsored by Sandeep Gill - Realtor, Munish Ghai w/ Homestead Real Estate, Mathnasium Manteca, and Hammer Head Protection Inc.
The 2025 Miss Manteca Contestants are as follows:
*Neriah Flores, Age 15, People’s Choice ID: 0107, Stage Arts: Softball Demo, Sponsored by High Quality Fence Inc.
*Saige Carstersen, Age 17, People’s Choice ID: 0108, Stage Arts: Lyrical Dance, Sponsored by Oasis Market
*Deziree Valladarez, Age 16, People’s Choice ID: 0109, Stage Arts: Hula Dance, Sponsored by "By Any Means" Jiu-Jitsu of Manteca
*Kylie Anderson, Age 16, People’s Choice ID: 0110, Stage Arts: Baton Twirling, Sponsored by "Walden Meadows" South Lake Tahoe Vacation Home
*Alyssa Suarez, Age 16, People’s Choice ID: 0111, Stage Arts: Ballet Folklórico, Sponsored by Max Repair
*Aanya Rao, Age 16, People’s Choice ID: 0112, Stage Arts: Drums, Sponsored by Sammi's Skincare and Dream Weaver Events
*Giselle Patterson, Age 16, People’s Choice ID: 0113, Stage Arts: Photography & Poetry, Sponsored by The Patterson Family and Parklane Cleaners
*Prachi Yadav, Age 16, People’s Choice ID: 0114, Stage Arts: Bollywood Dance, Sponsored by The Yadav Family
*Mallory Myers, Age 18, People’s Choice ID: 0115, Stage Arts: Inspirational Speech, Sponsored by Vikki Rodriguez
Each year, Miss Manteca, the Manteca City Ambassador and their fellow MYF All-Star Student Service Team members also contribute hundreds of hours of volunteer service at signature events around the city including Manteca 4th of July Parade, National Night Out Celebration, Manteca Pumpkin Fair, Manteca Twilight Holiday Parade, Great Valley BookFest, City of Manteca Christmas at the Center, Hospice of San Joaquin Tree of Lights, and Manteca Crossroads Watermelon Street Faire.
They also support local businesses by attending numerous mixers and coffees hosted by the Manteca Chamber of Commerce. Since 2008 with the addition of the MYF Community Advocacy Project program, the youth also collaborate to aid their fellow service team members with their individual projects which have contributed thousands of volunteer hours and fundraising efforts for numerous charitable organizations.
MYF programs now include the aforementioned annual scholarship competitions for ages 10-20, the year-round All-Star Student Service Team for youth ages of 9-21, and recreational “prince and princess” fundraiser program for children ages 9 and under.
MYF programs are open to residents from the greater Manteca community which includes the cities of Manteca, Ripon, Lathrop and the communities of River Islands, French Camp, and Weston Ranch (South Stockton).
For more information on MYF programs email MantecaYouthFocus@gmail.com or visit www.MantecaYouthFocus.org.
