Miss Danville Eyes California Crown

Just days after passing her Miss Teenage California Pageant title to the new queen, Bianca Vierra of Hayward, Mary-Kate FitzPatrick was chosen for another honor. In May, she was named Miss Danville 2011.

As Miss Danville, FitzPatrick will compete for the title of Miss California in a pageant at Aqua Caliente in Palm Springs this fall. Should she win, she will join young women from every state in the Miss USA 2012 competition.

Miss Teenage California organizers had nothing but praise for FitzPatrick as she closed out her year as reigning queen. On their website they wrote: “To Mary-Kate FitzPatrick, our outgoing queen, thank you for being such a gracious and lovely young woman with a pure heart and energetic spirit. You have been an absolute joy to have as our 2010 state winner.”

Other feathers in FitzPatrick’s cap this year include runner-up in Miss Teen of the Nation, runner-up in Miss Collegiate America and semi-finalist in America’s Next Top Model.

Sweet Success

FitzPatrick’s success is especially sweet because just a couple of years ago she was the target of teasing from her high school peers for being overweight. The 19-year-old, who just wrapped up her sophomore year at Mount St. Mary’s College in Los Angeles, where she studies film and social justice, was 50 pounds heavier.

“I felt depressed,” she says. “The more depressed I became, the more I would eat.”

Finally fed up with her physical condition, FitzPatrick joined a gym and started working out every day. She also changed her diet, exercising portion control, eating lots of lean protein and eliminating starchy foods. Within six months, she’d dropped down to 125 pounds on her 5-foot-7 frame. And within a year, much to her amazement, she won the Miss Teenage California title.

“My jaw just dropped when the judges called Miss Danville,” recalls FitzPatrick. “I just couldn’t believe I’d won.”

Big leagues

FitzPatrick will turn 20 in July and is gearing up to compete in the big-league pageants.

“I’m rolling with the big dogs now,” says Miss Danville.

How does one prepare for the Miss California competition, which is more focused on physical appearance and fitness than the teen competitions? FitzPatrick says she runs three to four miles every morning and goes to the gym to work out at night.

“I don’t want to show up without having done everything I can do,” says FitzPatrick. “The rest is in God’s hands and the judges’ hands.”

She says she doesn’t focus on her past worries about her weight, but looks to the future.

“I’ll talk about it if someone brings it up, but now I emphasize the light that came out of those bad times,” she says.

She also takes good care of her skin and hair.

“I drink two liters of water every day and that keeps my skin flawless,” says FitzPatrick, adding that pageant competitors are “under a microscope all the time.”

She also swears by fish oil supplements.

“I take them religiously,” she says. “It keeps my hair long and shiny.”

FitzPatrick says that the bathing suit part of the Miss California pageant is “huge.”

“It’s going to be interesting,” she says. “I used to be so much bigger that it’s a weird concept for me to be judged on my figure — and doing it voluntarily! But I’m now more comfortable and confident about my body.”

'Head ninja'

FitzPatrick also gets a hand — as well as hairdos and manicures — from her employer and sponsor, Adam Hildebrand, owner of (including Danville) and Gloss hair and nails in Walnut Creek.

She describes her position as “head ninja.”

“I do everything from working behind the desk to promotional photos and videos.”

Hildebrand says FitzPatrick is always ready to help.

“If we ask her to do something, she’s right on it,” says Hildebrand. “Mary-Kate has lots of spunk. She’s a great people person, warm and welcoming to everyone. She’s a great human being and I wish her the best of luck for the Miss California pageant.”

Education and community service

Beauty pageants aren’t just about looks. Contestants must demonstrate their commitment to education and serving the community.

“There’s a big focus on education,” says FitzPatrick, who has a 3.947 GPA and is vice president of the National Society of Leadership and Success, and a program and production assistant in the film and social justice department. All Miss California contestants must be enrolled in college or have attended.

FitzPatrick says it’s internal beauty that really counts.

“Everyone can be beautiful, but you have to be genuine too, and the judges see that.”

FitzPatrick encourages people to live a healthy lifestyle.

“Obesity is huge in the U.S.,” she says. “Some simple steps can help you be healthier and live longer – walk for 30 minutes every day, or park your car further from the store – it’s all about those little things. If you feel good on the inside, it reflects on the outside.”

FitzPatrick recently rescued a baby deer “about the size of a tall Chihuahua,” that strayed into her family’s garden in Danville.

“She stayed in my room and I fed her goat’s milk in a bottle,” says FitzPatrick. “I finally set her free near a neighbor’s house where I’d seen a lot of deer. I hope she’s all right!”

Danville born and bred

Since she now lives primarily in Los Angeles, FitzPatrick says she had the option to represent L.A. in the Miss California contest. But the Danville native had other plans.

“It wouldn’t mean anything, because Danville is my home,” she says. “There are so many awesome people here. There’s something so genuine about Danville that I hold close to my heart.”

Danville Mayor Karen Stepper says she believes FitzPatrick is one of those awesome people.

“She’s an accomplished young lady,” says Stepper. “I commend her for standing out in so many areas that are important to young women, both in their future careers and future avocations."

She added: “When young people take the initiative that helps them in their career, we should support and encourage that. I congratulate Mary-Kate.”

See her in a commercial for Benefit cosmetics.

Follow Mary-Kate FitzPatrick in her quest for the Miss California and Miss USA titles, on her Facebook page.