Mason’s Triple Crown
University celebrates third Miss Virginia in five years
By Colleen Kearney Rich, MFA ’95
On a June Saturday night in Roanoke, reigning Miss Virginia and Mason senior Kristi Glakas handed off her title to a fellow Patriot, Adrianna Sgarlata. Sgarlata, who graduated from Mason with a bachelor of music degree in 2005, is Mason’s third Miss Virginia in five years. Jennifer Pitts, JD ’04, held the crown in 2002.
Sgarlata, a Fairfax Station resident who is working on a master of music degree, competed against 19 other contestants for the title. Along with the crown comes a $16,000 scholarship, an apartment, use of a car for the year, and a trip to compete for Miss America.
Sgarlata’s platform of service for the competition includes an anti-bullying campaign called BRAVO, or Behaving Respectfully and Valuing Others, which she promotes in schools around the state, relating her own childhood experiences with bullying. She also directs the Virginia chapter of Bully Police USA, a national nonprofit organization.
An opera singer who has studied voice for nine years, Sgarlata has won numerous awards while at Mason, including first place in the mid-Atlantic region and first place twice in the state at the annual National Association of Teachers of Singing competitions. She also performed the national anthem at commencement this past spring.
