Five young women will compete for the title of District 6 Dairy Princess during a gala event on June 14 at Our Lady of Assumption Hall, 2602 S. Walnut Rd., in Turlock.
This year's contestants are: Marissa Aguiar of Newman, Alexandra Assali and Brittany Luis of Ceres, Kathleen Migliazzo of Atwater and Alison Sherman of Merced.
Marissa is the daughter of Rui and Mariann Cardoso of Newman and is working towards a double major of agricultural science and agricultural business as a freshman at Modesto Junior College. She is currently employed at Cardoso Ag Services, which assists dairy producers with environmental compliance. While a student at Turlock High School, Marissa received her State FFA Degree.
Alexandra is the daughter of Mike Assali of Hughson and Debbie Agresti of Ceres. She is a freshman at California State University, Chico where she is studying agricultural business. Alexandra was active in Turlock FFA during high school where she held several officer positions and was a member of the dairy judging team. Alexandra also showed dairy animals at the local fairs through 4-H and FFA.
Brittany is the daughter of Joe and Theresa Luis of Ceres and currently a freshman at Modesto Junior College studying agricultural business and agricultural science while working at Cardoso Ag Services. Brittany has been a member of 4-H and Turlock FFA and received the Outstanding Dairy Award. While in college, Brittany is a member of the Young Farmers organization and the Central Valley Jersey Association.
Kathleen is the daughter of Dante and Kristi Migliazzo of Atwater and is a junior at Buhach Colony High School. Upon graduation in 2013, Kathleen plans to attend California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. She is an active member of Buhach Colony FFA and St. Anthony's 4-H Club where she participates in showing dairy cattle and has won the 4-H and FFA Master Showmanship awards at the Merced Fair.
Alison is the daughter of Scot and Sandy Sherman of Merced. She is currently a senior at Buhach Colony High School and has actively participated in FFA for four years. Alison was a member of the Buhach Colony Dairy Cattle Judging Team that won the state and national dairy cattle judging title and was invited to attend the international competition in Scotland. She enjoys showing dairy cattle and has many awards at the local fair.
The young lady crowned as Dairy Princess will represent the dairy industry in the counties of Alameda, Mariposa, Merced, Monterey, San Benito, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Stanislaus and Tuolumne. She will serve the area as ambassador for the dairy industry at schools, service groups and with the media. The newly selected princess and her alternate will participate in a week of training, provided by the California Milk Advisory Board, which includes industry tours, presentation and etiquette training.
The contest is sponsored by the District 6 Dairy Princess Committee and the California Milk Advisory Board. The contest will begin at 6 p.m. with a no-host social hour, followed by dinner and main program at 7 p.m. To purchase tickets, contact Linda Teixeira at 634-4500 or 402-8305.