New Mr. and Miss UCF crowned

Jared Masucci—Mr. UCF of 2011—looked on at the flashing lights, the towering speakers and canons that shot out confetti as Zach Cabrera was crowned Mr. UCF of 2012.

The Mr. UCF pageant was held at The Venue on Nov. 18 at 8 p.m. Cabrera, a junior marketing major, won the title of Mr. UCF 2012, grinning as cameras flashed all around him.

Masucci sat in the audience and reflected on the year he spent as Mr. UCF and all of the experiences he had.

"It was phenomenal," Masucci said. "When I came to UCF, I never expected I would ever have this opportunity."

In the past year, Masucci has been in parades, including the Homecoming Parade and the Winter Park Parade; volunteered at Relay For Life and Knight-Thon; and participated in the Orange County Public Schools Teach-In where he and Sara York, Miss UCF 2010, played music and read stories to the children.

"To be able to represent so many people as the face—the male figure—of UCF was something I could never dream of," Masucci said.

Cabrera felt a similar feeling of excitement and pride when he won the Mr. UCF 2012 title. Many people came up on the stage and shook hands and took pictures with him. He turned back and forth as people approached him from all sides.

"I was so shocked," Cabrera said, looking at the lights and audience surrounding him. "Just absolutely shocked."

The audience swayed and clapped along to the beat as Cabrera sang and played guitar to the song "Magic" by rapper B.o.B., but Cabrera still felt that the private interview portion is what helped him win the title.

"I really got to show my true character and my love for the school," Cabrera said.

Masucci felt hopeful for Cabrera's future as the new Mr. UCF. He said he couldn't be happier to pass on the title to a new person, so that someone else could have the same experiences he has had.

"It's great to be able to pass on these opportunities to another person," Masucci said. "I'm so happy for Zach and all he gets to accomplish in this upcoming year."

 Chris Pombonyo, the Campus Activity Board's director for Spectacular Knights and the director for the Mr. and Miss UCF 2012 pageants, stood on stage with his hands folded behind his back as David Lang and Megan Clementi—the hosts for Miss UCF 2012—announced that Alexa Schmidt won the 2012 title.

 He smiled just as he had the evening before when Cabrera was crowned the new Mr. UCF.

 He looked around at the two large projector screens that played music videos, the lights, the big stage and all of the people around him.

"There's a lot of planning behind the scenes with script, production, things like that," Pombonyo said. "We have rehearsals almost every day, starting in September."

Not only did the contestants perform, but there were opening numbers by former Mr. and Miss UCF winners, a violin performance by 11-year-old Miss UCF Sunshine Princess Vanessa Huber and videos that featured recaps of previous pageants and events.

 "It's a lot of work, but it's well worth it in the end," Pombonyo said.

In a hallway outside of the Venue, there was a red carpet that everyone walked down as they entered the auditorium to find their seats.

Many lights shone down on people walking on the carpet, and flashes from cameras went off every once in a while to catch someone in an evening gown or dress.

Alan Zegarra, a sophomore and the CAB's promotions director, greeted all the people entering the auditorium by shaking hands and welcoming everyone to the show.

Zegarra said that the pageants serve as a chance to showcase the talent at UCF. The students will learn a lot about themselves, he said, and will also have the opportunity to give back to the community by performing onstage and supporting a particular organization within the community.

"It's a win-win for everybody," Zegarra said.

Schmidt accepted the title of Miss UCF 2012 on Nov. 19. Confetti shot out of canons, cameras flashed from the crowd and triumphant music blared from the speakers.

Schmidt wore a sparkling red dress and high heels as the crown was placed on her head. She stayed for about an hour after the end of the pageant to take pictures with a number of family, friends and UCF faculty.

Jacqueline Boehme won the title of Miss UCF in 2011. She's a recent alumna who received a bachelor's degree in micro and molecular biology.

In a UCF Today article from May 2011, Boehme said that she was accepted into a number of medical schools, including Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Vanderbilt and Mayo. She also said that she hopes to work in pediatrics, either as a neurosurgeon or cardiologist.

"Giving back is important to me, and I know I can do that as a doctor," Boehme said in the UCF Today article. Boehme was unavailable for comment with the Future.