Outstanding Teen enters state competition

Katherine Chicca glides across the stage in a stunning gown. (courtesy of Barbara Chicca)

Outstanding Teen enters state competition

She’s a junior at Scripps Ranch High School. She spends 23 hours a week training as a competitive gymnast, is greatly involved with her local church and enjoys forensic science and art courses at school. Oh, and she’s Miss San Diego’s Outstanding Teen.

Katherine Chicca, or “Katie” for short, took home the title on Jan. 19 at the 2019 Miss San Diego Competition. The competition required her to display a talent, do a personal interview with the judges, answer an on-stage question and show a certain level of fitness.

“It was really amazing to win,” Katie said. “I don’t really know how to describe it.”

While the competition’s winners are granted scholarship money, their title also includes a responsibility to progress a charity platform throughout the year. For Katie, the cause at hand is the United Nations International Children’s Education Fund (UNICEF), an international organization focused on children’s rights. Katie’s mother, Barbara Chicca, said this year-long service commitment will include work with UNICEF as well as contributions to other service efforts in San Diego.

A year of service atop the high schooler’s already hectic schedule certainly keeps Katie busy. However, her mom said she’s hardly concerned.

“I think, in a lot of ways, they’re good life skills for her,” Barbara said. “Our lives don’t really change much as we age. We get busy, so you have to learn how to juggle your time and manage your priorities. This is good training for that.”

As a junior in high school, Katie will be gearing up for graduation soon enough. Her aspirations are big, as she said she is hoping to attend college on the East Coast, possibly in Boston.

However, the Miss California competition in June comes much sooner on Katie’s agenda, and preparation is already in full swing.

“I’m working with some of my coaches from gymnastics and pageant directors to choreograph a routine to fit the stage at (the state competition) and I’m working on interview practice with other girls who have done pageants,” Katie said.

In the meantime, Barbara said she is a proud mom and that she’s happy to keep up with the hustle.

“I do a lot of driving,” she joked.