Lorain International Princess Pageant crowns new queen

LORAIN — Lorain has a new queen. Alison Gott, representing her Hungarian heritage, is the 2025 Lorain International Festival queen. Rounding out her court was first runner-up Liz Alvarez, representing her Dominican heritage; second runner-up Camryn Morris, representing her Italian heritage; and third runner-up Jada McCall representing her Puerto Rican heritage. Gott said when she signed up for the pageant, she never expected to be crowned queen. As a nearly lifelong Hungarian dancer, attending and performing at the Lorain International Festival was in her blood. Her sister was a princess and on the court in 2008, so entering the pageant had always been on Gott's bucket list, she said. "I went into this thinking 'I just want to make new friends and have fun,'" the new queen said. "I had no expectations of ever winning." She said she thought it was a mistake when they called her name, despite being able to hear her dad cheer for her from the crowded Lorain High School Performing Arts Center. Her parents were her biggest supporters, she said, and she was excited for the upcoming year of attending Lorain International Festival events and other fairs throughout the state. "I really hope with this title I can make a lasting impact," she said. Alvarez said winning a seat on the court was an even bigger blessing than she had hoped for when she signed up for the pageant. She entered the pageant to share her Dominican culture with others, having immigrated from the Dominican Republic when she was 5 years old. "Everyone doesn't expect a Dominican princess," she said. "I get to rant about my culture and be so, so proud of where I'm from, it was truly a blessing and a joy." If she had to pick one thing from the Dominican to share, she said it would be the Carribean country's food — specifically mangu, a traditional dish made of mashed green plantains. "I was starstruck," Alvarez said when her name was announced. "I was so happy, I felt like I did it for my family, my family deserved this. … I want little girls to know that we're beautiful and to go for it — don't be scared." Morris, whose Italian heritage is also this year's spotlight nationality, credited her nonna, Yolonda Andulics, with Morris' participation. Andulics immigrated from Cosenza, Italy, in the late 1950s and was seated in the audience with an "Italy" shirt on, cheering for her granddaughter. McCall, who also participated in the pageant in 2022, said the second time was "top tier." While she was one of the youngest girls participating in 2022, she was one of the oldest this year — at 20 years old — and was able to take on a "big sister" role to some of the other princesses. She, like the other young women, credited her family for getting her to the stage on Thursday and helping her throughout the pageant. "I think everyone should do it," she said of the pageant. "If you've done it before, if you haven't done it, it's such a great experience. You learn so much about yourself and other people, it's so great to be culturally aware — especially in this day and age." The 2025 International Festival kicks off at 5:15 p.m. today at Black River Landing and runs through Sunday. Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com