Parsippany Woman Hopes To Empower Single Moms Through Pageant Platform
PARSIPPANY, NJ —The Miss New Jersey USA pageant is this weekend in Parsippany, and a local architect is one of more than 100 finalists — though the contest’s past restrictions would have excluded her.
As a mother who is past the age of 28, Vina Aboshaira Soliman is one of many women who only became eligible for the Miss USA and Miss Universe competitions in the past few years.
Aboshaira, who works as a building information modeling (BIM) director, told Patch she hopes to recognize and empower other single mothers through the platform she’s been given as Miss Parsippany-Troy Hills.
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She also hopes to connect with more women who are interested in architectural design and engineering, or who may be wondering how they can make a career move to better support their family.
“It would be a nice thing to be one of the winners,” she said. “But really I just want more outreach to younger engineers and designers, or people who are interested in that field. Because there isn’t a lot of awareness of it, but there is a lot of opportunity out there. And I’d like to be a mentor for people who need help.”
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The state Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageant takes place from June 21 through 23 at the Hilton Parsippany.
Aboshaira noted that there are several different pageant organizations in the U.S. — for example, the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants are connected to Miss Universe, but they are not part of the Miss United States and Miss America competitions.
In the past, women who were pregnant or who had children were barred from competing in the Miss Universe pageants. That changed in June of 2023, after the organization agreed to settle with a California woman who had challenged that rule.
This is also the first year that women 29 and over are eligible to participate in Miss Universe. Aboshaira, who is 38 and has two children, said she was glad to learn these restrictions were lifted. There are no height and weight restrictions for Miss New Jersey USA, either.
“I was very thankful to find out I could actually be accepted into it,” she said. “I’m interested in fashion and things like that, so I thought that would be something of a confidence booster for me. And on a professional level, and on my ambitious level, I would love to have my voice heard and help more people.”
Aboshaira emigrated from Egypt about 14 years ago, and was married with two children before she got divorced. She said it took her years to get back on track financially and with her career — and that being an immigrant as well as a single mother made it challenging.
“After I kind of picked up my life again, and was able to help myself with my career again and to make friends and all of that, I started looking around like ‘Oh my God, there are so many women who are probably in my shoes,'” she said. “And you really don’t have time to look for resources or find out what help is out there for us. Because, you know, we do have kids all the time.”
Through her connections and social groups in the Arab and Muslim communities, she began volunteering her time to offer engineering workshops and one-on-one mentorships to other women who were re-entering the job market or considering a career change.
She also reached out to younger engineers and high school students to help them begin networking and career planning, and is looking to reach even more people through her initiative called Upskill AEC (check her LinkedIn page or Instagram profile to learn more).
“Really my goal is to help some of these people who are not aware that this is an option, but they are working to really work hard and teach themselves and grow their skill sets to find those jobs,” she said.
This weekend’s competition includes an interview, swimsuit modeling (athletic wear for the teen group), and an evening gown portion.
Contestants are judged on their stage presence and confidence, as well as their appearance, during the swimsuit and evening gown competitions.
The competitors are also performing a dance in groups, she added.
“It’s based on your confidence level, how you present yourself and communicate,” she said. “You need to be fit; it doesn’t matter what body shape or anything like that. But you need to show that you’re someone who’s fit. “
Aboshaira also noted that she is able to wear more modest swimwear than a bikini, which is more in line with her cultural norms.
During the interview is when she will be able to speak about her cause and her ambitions, and what she would do if she won the title. Aboshaira said she hopes to represent and recognize the strength and resilience of single mothers — which is a bit of uncharted territory for this pageant organization.
“It is a cause that they didn’t really pay attention to before. They’ve paid attention to immigration, to domestic abuse, and things like that,” Aboshaira said. “But single mothers and single parents, and the challenges that they face, that is kind of a new area for them. This is something I want to shine a light on, is the challenges that single parents face.”
The contestants with the highest composite scores from these three phases of competition become semifinalists. The final competition and crowning takes place on Sunday for both the teen and adult competitions.
There is also an online People’s Choice competition; Aboshaira’s contestant page is here.
She also has a GoFundMe page to support her cause, which you can view here.
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