MANSFIELD — Stephanie Finoti cried tears of joy as confetti fluttered down on her and a crowd of spectators at the Renaissance Theater.
In the moments after she was crowned Miss Ohio, Finoti faced a packed house cheering her on.
But it was the women upstage, her fellow contestants, whose applause moved her the most.
“I looked behind me and it was all of the young women that I spent the week with,” said Finoti, who competed as Miss Shawnee.
“So many of those women have told me that I could be Miss Ohio and in that moment, I just wanted to thank all of them for instilling that belief within me, for supporting me and for being so kind all week.”
Finoti, a Columbus native, clinched the crown during the finale of Miss Ohio 2024 competition Saturday night.
“I thought that I was dreaming. I’ve dreamt about this for so long,” she said.
“I have no words for how I feel right now. I’m so honored to stand as a representative among 26 other amazing women.”
Finoti studies biomedical science at the University of Cincinnati and plans to become a neonatologist focusing on premature baby care. Her victory Saturday came after she won preliminary awards in the talent and health and fitness categories earlier in the week.
Nevertheless, Finoti said she wasn’t expecting to walk away with the crown. A second year competitor, her goal was simply to become a better version of herself.
“Last year was my first year and I really didn’t know what I was doing,” she said.
“This year, it was my goal to be better than I was last year and just more confident on stage and more me.”
Finoti’s community service initiative focuses on professional resources, mentorship for women in STEM
Finoti first heard about the Miss Ohio program a couple of years ago from a friend who competed.
“At the time I had braces,” she said. “I was like, ‘There’s no way I’m going on stage in braces.'”
About a year later, that conversation resurfaced in Finoti’s mind as she was considering her path.
“I was kind of at a low point in my life,” she said. “I remember praying to God and asking him, ‘What is my purpose? God, please use me in this world. Use me to do something good. And in that moment, I remembered the Miss Ohio program.”
Finoti went on to earn a top ten finish as a first-time contestant.
Now that’s she’s secured the state title, she hopes to use her platform to help other women gain the confidence to pursue their dreams — whether that’s a career in STEM or competing on the Miss Ohio stage.
“My community service initiate is called That STEM Girl,” Finoti said.
“It revolves around empowering and preparing marginalized young women such as myself to enter the STEM field and really address the issue of health equity and create the future leaders of tomorrow.”
Finoti, whose parents immigrated to the United States from Brazil, said she also wants to increase minority representation in the Miss Ohio program by encouraging young girls of color to compete.
“I plan to be the representation that they need in the Miss Ohio program as a woman of color, the first woman of color in over ten years to hold the title of Miss Ohio,” she said.
“I hope to recruit more marginalized young women by going out into the community, telling my story, connecting with individuals and making these close knit relationships.”
She said the people she’s most excited to share the news of her win with are the folks at her local hometown library.
“The Whitehall Public Library is where I first learned a servant’s heart. It’s where I first began volunteering. They have done so much for me,” she said.
“My parents, they’re immigrants, so they didn’t know how to speak English very well when I was younger. They taught me how to speak English. They taught me how to write and from there it developed on to teaching others how to read and write and volunteering and becoming a leader.”
Runners up, other awards
Miss Ohio River Olivia Fosson was the competition’s runner up after a round of semifinal and final competition Saturday. The 23-year-old Kitts Hill native is currently enrolled at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.
Miss North Coast Caroline Trennepohl was second runner up.
The other semifinalists included Miss Lake Erie Lauren Partin, Miss Clayland Brittney Putman, Miss Oxford Marisa Matsanoff, Miss Portsmouth Baylee Joy Martin, Miss Greater Cleveland Lucabella LaEace, Miss Chillicothe Autumn Kessler, Miss Northern Ohio Caitlin Seifert and Miss Greater Butler County Bryn Hasenaur.
LaEace won the semifinalist interview award and the Ya Ya Sisters Style & Personality Scholarship.
Fosson won the Betty & Jim Estep Classical Talent Award.
Hasenaur won the Terri Mitchel Memorial Scholarship.
Miss Rock & Roll City Grace Reigel and Miss Heart of Ohio Marina Denunzio won the Paul Herlihy Spirit Award.
Reigel, a Mansfield native, also won the Caroline Grace Williams Spirit Award and the Laurel Lea Schaefer Scholarship.
Miss Gem City Diamond Coleman won the Cheryl J. Oliver Memorial Scholarship and the non-finalist interview award.
Miss Maple City Emily Legenza won the non-semifinalist talent award.
Miss Mohican Valley Makenzie Regedanz won the non-semifinalist talent award.
