Melissa Nicole Isaac is a 2013 graduate of Cranford High School.  She has the honor of having been selected as a state finalist for the 2014 Miss New Jersey Teen USA Pageant.  Each finalist is required to collect $1,195 in donations and sponsorships from individuals or businesses, and donations from businesses are tax-deductible. We would like to assist Melissa in her quest for the crown, and ask that you consider making a donation as well!

This lovely young woman is one of our own, and an ideal representative of Cranford.  Melissa moved here from Fort Lee with her family when she was 8, when they were looking for a more suburban town for their family. She then started 3rd grade at Livingston Avenue School, went on to middle school at Hillside Avenue School, and then CHS.  She is a dancer with training in ballet, tap, and jazz.  She did cheerleading through the PAL, then was a varsity cheerleader for all four years of high school, senior captain of the cheerleading squad, and was selected as an all-star cheerleader in the Snapple Bowl all-star game.   Melissa was nominated as All-American by the National Cheerleaders Association, and participated in the NCA Christmas Extravaganza Parade, which aired on television from Disney World on Christmas Day.  (How cool is that?!)  After being accepted to 8 out of 9 colleges that she applied to, she will be entering Sacred Heart University this fall as a Nursing major.  And now, add state finalist to this pageant to her list of accomplishments!

When asked what she loved most about Cranford, Melissa answered beautifully, “My favorite things about Cranford have to be the annual Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony and the Fourth of July fireworks. Attending these events each year with my family has become a tradition and I love seeing the town of Cranford come together to give thanks to our fallen heroes and celebrate the freedom of our country. Also being here and experiencing first-hand the sense of community after Irene and Sandy made me love this town so much more. Walking down the streets aside from seeing destruction of people’s homes and belongings, I saw love I’d never seen before; strangers helping one another clean up, groups of teenagers raising money for relief efforts, and hours of volunteer work, just made me so grateful to live in this town.”

 

And when asked why she chose to be a part of this pageant, Melissa stated, “My main goal is to become an inspiration to all girls and young women and show them that if you’re truly passionate about something and you put your heart into what you love to do, you can achieve anything. Every girl should have the confidence to be the best that they can be.”

If you would like to be a part of helping this bright young star reach her goal, you can visit the website she created at GoFundMe and make a donation to her campaign.  How cool would it be to crown a collegiate Cranfordian?!