2026 Miss Ramona royalty crowned at Nov. 8 pageant

Joanna Abarca was named Miss Ramona and Clarissa Valenzuela was chosen as Miss Ramona First Princess at the 2026 Miss Ramona Scholarship pageant held Saturday night.

“To say I am happy is an understatement,” said 17-year-old Abarca. “From being a little girl setting my life goal of being just like my older sister, to being crowned Miss Ramona 2026 truly has made my dreams come true.”

Abarca, the daughter of Susana and Celso Abarca, is no stranger to the program. She served as Miss Ramona Princess on the 2025 court and Teen Miss Ramona 2022, said Noelle Day, pageant director.

“She is going to be a fantastic lead queen for our community,” Day said.

Valenzuela, 16, is the daughter of Cynthia and Martin Valenzuela. Aside from being named Miss Ramona First Princess, she won the Speech award in her class.

Tarin Kilcoyne, 13, was named Teen Miss Ramona, Maile Hunt, 13, was Teen First Princess and Emma Peasley, 13, was Teen Second Princess at the “Back to the 80s”-themed pageant held at Mountain View Community Church.

“When my name was called, I was completely surprised because the other teen contestants were so strong and now I’m very lucky to have them by my side,” Kilcoyne said. “It’s been a lot of hard work getting to this position. The week leading up to the day had a ton of challenges as well as ups and downs.”

Kilcoyne, the daughter of Dinah and Sean Kilcoyne, is a returning queen. She was crowned the first Pre-Teen Jr. Miss Ramona in 2024, when the age category was introduced.

Alexa Echevarria, 12, was crowned Pre-teen Jr. Miss Ramona, while her sister, Charlotte Echevarria, 10, was crowned Pre-teen Jr. Princess, rounding out the royalty title winners. They are the daughters of Noemi Munoz and Saul Echevarria.

The third time proved to be the charm for Alexa, who competed in the pageant for the third time.

“When my name was called for the awards, I told myself ‘I am not going to win, better luck next time,’ but then all of a sudden I heard my name get called for the title and I was filled with joy,” she said. “Never give up on your dreams because you will achieve it one way or another.”

Other contestants for the Miss Ramona title included Natalie Browning and Samantha Scott. Pre-teen Jr. Miss Ramona contestants included Hazel Becker and Maddison Hamilton.

Pageant day ran seamlessly, and all 11 contestants did a “fantastic job” with their speeches, interviews and onstage presentations, Day said.

“We always say the crown lands where it belongs, and that sentiment rings true for all of these remarkable young ladies,” she added. 

The Miss Ramona title is for ages 17 to 26, Teen Miss Ramona, for ages 13 to 16 and Pre-Teen Jr. Miss Ramona for ages 10 to 12. 

The women represent Ramona at various events such as the Christmas Tree Lighting to the Ramona Country Fair, Chamber of Commerce mixers and other organizations requesting their presence. The queens also help raise money for charitable programs and events.

After months of practice, the contestants took part Saturday in an opening dance number, followed by competitions in casual wear, historical facts, evening gown and on-stage questions. 

Earlier in the day, they took part in the speeches and judges interview sections of the contest.

Hunt won the Spirit Award and Most Photogenic in her class. The Director’s award went to Becker, who also won Most Photogenic in her class. 

The People’s Choice award, which was voted on by audience members, was given to Peasley, who also won the Miss Congeniality Award in her class. 

Miss Congeniality was awarded to Alexa Echevarria for her class; she also won for Speech and Interview. 

Abarca took the Miss Congeniality award in her class, as well as Most Photogenic and Interview. Kilcoyne won the Speech and Interview awards for her class. Valenzuela won the Speech award in her class. 

The pageant was also a night to appreciate and celebrate the outgoing 2025 queens — Miss Ramona Mariah Morris, Teen Miss Ramona Alannah Bowman and Pre-Teen Jr. Miss Ramona Ellë McNett.

The women had contributed more than 500 hours of combined service to the community during their tenure, Day said.

The 2025 Queens were presented with certificates from San Diego dignitaries, including state Assemblymember Carl DeMaio, state Sen. Brian Jones, San Diego County Supervisor Joel Anderson and the Ramona Chamber of Commerce. 

The women were also presented with numerous scholarships to help with their future academic and career goals.

“This court is going to make a phenomenal team, and I cannot wait to get started as we kick off another exciting year,” Day said of the new Ramona royalty.