Francesca Collins Visits Section 36!

Section 36 has another visitor! Francesca Collins is passionate about ovarian cancer awareness, a talented pianist, and the current Miss Ocean Sands. I was thrilled that she was willing to visit with us to discuss those topics, and a few more. I am also excited that she is our first visitor from the state of New Jersey!

So, let's see what happens when Francesca Collins Visits Section 36!

How did you celebrate winning the Miss Ocean Sands crown?
Right after winning, I went over to a Queen's reception at this super yummy Italian restaurant and ate lots of pasta!

What has been the most pleasant surprise about your time as Miss Ocean Sands? 
Before COVID, I was able to do the Christmas tree lighting in Gloucester Township. Everyone was so sweet and the town even made me a sign that says "Meet Francesca Collins Miss Ocean Sands." It's made out of street sign material so that is super cool and an awesome memento of my time!

What did you learn about yourself at the Miss Ocean Sands competition that will help you when you compete for Miss New Jersey?
Going into the Miss Ocean Sands competition, I honestly didn't

think I was going to win. It was the last local that I was eligible for and I remember thinking that this was the end of my time in pageants. I decided to throw out the "pageant personality" and just be Francesca and have fun with that. 

How did you select your social impact initiative, “The Teal Butterfly Challenge”?
When I was 15, I went to an Ovarian Cancer Awareness walk in North Carolina. My mom and I went to support one of her closest friends whose sister passed away from Ovarian Cancer. The passion around OCA is incredible and unmatched. The sad part is that there was only one survivor at that walk. I was so moved by the love and passion that I saw that day and knew that this was something I wanted to get involved with. My mom's friend founded the Teal Butterfly Challenge later that year and I have been involved ever since. In the past decade, the challenge has reached countries in Europe! 

Since its founding, the organization has rebranded to just "The Teal Butterfly" because the challenge is only one part of what we do. There are awareness runs, educational promotion, and even a girl scout patch geared towards promoting education and awareness about Ovarian Cancer.

As a talented pianist, what do you enjoy most about performing on stage?
I love sharing music with people. Music is one of the few mediums that transcends time and culture. We can all feel the emotions represented in music.

You are currently enrolled in law school. What are your plans for using that degree?

I'm trying to keep an open mind since I'm only in my first year of law school. At this point, I'm leaning towards going into estate or contracts law. I find those to be really fascinating areas of law. 

If you could be a Disney Character for a week, who would you choose? Why?
This is such a hard question because I love so many Disney characters! I would have to say Elsa because I would love to be able to control ice and water!

If you had an extra ticket to a Philadelphia Phillies game, who would you bring with you? Why?
If I had an extra ticket to a Phillies game, I would bring my brother, John. He is a HUGE sports fan and we have a great time with lots of laughs whenever we spend time together. 

Is there a feature or activity at a baseball game that you’d especially like to experience?
I would love to throw the first pitch! I think that would be so much fun!

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I'd love to do that too! 

As always, I want to thank Francesca for visiting with us, and for sending along the wonderful pictures to go with the interview.

As Francesca continues her time as Miss Ocean Sands, I encourage you to follow her Instagram account. It's a great way to keep track of everything she has going on!

I also definitely want to wish her the best of luck when she competes for the Miss New Jersey title. It would be wonderful to have the first Section 36 visitor wear that crown!

 

Thanks again Francesca, and good luck!