Christina Ellington
Encyclopedia
Christina Yvette Ellington Pares, (born 1982), is a beauty queen and entertainer from New York
.
Pares' first major beauty pageant title was Miss New York
2004, which she won competing as Miss Southern New York. She had previously placed second runner-up in 2003 as Miss Manhattan, and second runner-up in 2002 as Miss Five Boroughs. Pares is an opera
singer who won a preliminary talent award in 2004, and tied for the award in 2002. She also won the evening gown
award in 2004.
Pares represented her state at the Miss America
2005 pageant televised live from Atlantic City, New Jersey
in September 2004. She was a top ten finalist in the pageant, which was won by Deidre Downs
of Alabama
.
Pares is known for her initiatives with childhood cancer and urban city education, which she incorporated into her pageant platform: "The Power of our Nation's Educators"
Pares grew up in Connecticut
and attended Danbury High School. As well as Miss New York, Pares has held a number of other titles, including Miss Connecticut Teen America where she was 1st runner up to Miss Teen America
2001, Miss Southern New England Teen 1998, Miss Manhattan, Miss Five Boroughs, and Miss Southern New York.
She went to the prestigious New York University Tisch School of the Arts
- Collaborative Arts Project 21 Musical Theatre Conservatory for her undergraduate studies. She has played leading roles from Maria in West Side Story to a one woman show as Ethel Waters. She continued her studies at New York University and earned a Master's degree in May 2007.
She resides in New Fairfield, Connecticut
and teaches elementary education in a Harlem school.
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Pares' first major beauty pageant title was Miss New York
Miss New York
The Miss New York competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of New York in the Miss America pageant. Miss New York has twice won the Miss America Crown. Also, when city representatives were common at the national pageant, Bess Myerson won as Miss New York City in...
2004, which she won competing as Miss Southern New York. She had previously placed second runner-up in 2003 as Miss Manhattan, and second runner-up in 2002 as Miss Five Boroughs. Pares is an opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
singer who won a preliminary talent award in 2004, and tied for the award in 2002. She also won the evening gown
Evening gown
An evening gown is a long flowing women's dress usually worn to a formal affair. It ranges from tea and ballerina to full-length. Evening gowns are often made of a luxury fabric such as chiffon, velvet, satin, or silk...
award in 2004.
Pares represented her state at the Miss America
Miss America
The Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
2005 pageant televised live from Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, and a nationally renowned resort city for gambling, shopping and fine dining. The city also served as the inspiration for the American version of the board game Monopoly. Atlantic City is located on Absecon Island on the coast...
in September 2004. She was a top ten finalist in the pageant, which was won by Deidre Downs
Deidre Downs
Deidre Downs is a beauty pageant contestant and winner of Miss America 2005. She is from Birmingham, Alabama. As part of her year of service as Miss America, she campaigned for Curing Childhood Cancer. For her talent, she sang a rendition of the ballad "I'm Afraid This Must Be Love"...
of Alabama
Miss Alabama
The Miss Alabama competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the U.S. state of Alabama in the Miss America pageant.Miss Alabamas have performed strongly at the Miss America pageant, particularly in the early 21st century, when the state produced their third Miss America, a first...
.
Pares is known for her initiatives with childhood cancer and urban city education, which she incorporated into her pageant platform: "The Power of our Nation's Educators"
Pares grew up in Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
and attended Danbury High School. As well as Miss New York, Pares has held a number of other titles, including Miss Connecticut Teen America where she was 1st runner up to Miss Teen America
Miss Teen America
Miss Teen America is an American beauty contest that serves as a training ground for many young American girls, many of whom go on to win other titles. Winners have had ongoing columns in Supermodels Unlimited and Pageantry magazines. Miss Teen America is not associated with the Miss America...
2001, Miss Southern New England Teen 1998, Miss Manhattan, Miss Five Boroughs, and Miss Southern New York.
She went to the prestigious New York University Tisch School of the Arts
Tisch School of the Arts
Tisch School of the Arts is one of the 15 schools that make up New York University ....
- Collaborative Arts Project 21 Musical Theatre Conservatory for her undergraduate studies. She has played leading roles from Maria in West Side Story to a one woman show as Ethel Waters. She continued her studies at New York University and earned a Master's degree in May 2007.
She resides in New Fairfield, Connecticut
New Fairfield, Connecticut
New Fairfield is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 13,881 at the 2010 census. The town is considered part of the greater New York Metropolitan Area and lies approximately from New York City...
and teaches elementary education in a Harlem school.