Boro Girl Vies for Miss NJ Teen USA

Freehold Borough has a chance at national fame this month, and it's not in the form of Bruce Springsteen. Tracy Martinez, a 17 year-old Borough resident, is competing in the Miss New Jersey Teen USA pageant later this month in Parsippany; a win could propel her onto the national and world stage.

We heard about Tracy through our friends at the Freehold Library, where Miss Martinez volunteers regularly and taught a fashion class this past weekend.

The Freehold Boro high school senior  took some time out of her non-stop schedule of work, extracurriculars, and school to talk to us about the upcoming pageant.

FinJ: So how did you get involved in the pageant? Have you done them all your life?

Tracy: Oh not at all. Last spring my guidance counselor at school handed me a letter, and it said that she had nominated me to be part of the event. I had always been interested in performing, modeling, and acting, and she thought it might be a good fit for me because of my future goals. I was totally surprised.

FinJ: Wow. So you enjoying be on stage and in the public, then?

Tracy: I love it. I’ve been onstage all the time, since I was a little girl in Mexico dancing and singing for my family. I do plays and have taken modeling classes, it’s just really fun to be up there in front of everyone.

FinJ: Did you used to live in Mexico?

Tracy: Yes, till I was about ten. I was born in New York, but then went back until I was ten. Then my father and my sisters and I moved to Florida, then New York, and finally New Jersey.

FinJ: Wow. So what will it be like competing in this pageant?

Tracy: I don’t know, it’s my first one! I have to study up on the current events of New Jersey and the world, and I bought my evening gown for the competition. I’m very confident about myself, but I have to be ready for the hard interview questions about world events.

FinJ: Well, I hear you’re over at the library a lot, you must learn a lot over there!

Tracy: Well, I hang out there a lot to do my homework. We don’t have a computer at home, so I go and check my mail and do my homework on it, and then I read a lot of books and magazines from them too. And this summer I taught a fashion course for five girls, ages 10-15, which was really fun.

[At this point in the interview, the always-friendly Zebu manager Ryan Timmons stopped over to congratulate Tracy on making it into the pageant.]

FinJ: So you’re just known by everybody in this town! You’re already famous.

Tracy: No, no! I just like to walk around and talk to people. I get that from my father, we just like to always go around and say hello, and how is your day, and be friendly and generous to people.

FinJ: Are your parents excited about the pageant, or nervous?

Tracy: I think a little of both. If I win this pageant, I will have to travel into New York by myself, and they are not used to me going off and doing things on my own. But they know this is what I want for my future.

FinJ: You’re future as an actress? Or model?

Tracy: Yeah, we’ll they’re very similar. I’d like to be a petite model. My parents are nervous that I’ll end up in Playboy or something! But I would never do that. I just want to be a commercial model, and travel around the world, and then, I also want to be a Spanish teacher. Why not?

FinJ: Why not! Go for it. Where do you want to travel to when you’re rich and famous?

Tracy: Italy. I’m taking my first year of Italian right now and I speak it so well. I also know French, but that’s harder for me. I’d love to go to Italy next year, and eventually live there and have my family come over and live with me so that they don’t have to work so hard and they can just enjoy it.

FinJ: Wait, so you speak Italian, French, Spanish and English?

Tracy: Well, yeah, but my French is only okay.

FinJ: My English is only okay. You’ve only been in America ten years, and you’re young, how did you learn to speak such perfect English?

Tracy: Sponge-Bob.

FinJ: What?

Tracy: Sponge-Bob and cartoons. It’s true what they say, if you’re around the language and watching it on TV, you’ll learn. When we first came from Mexico, we were living in Florida waiting for my mom to come join us, her papers took longer so she couldn’t cross right away. So my sisters and I watched cartoons and learned English.

FinJ: Wow. So since you’re from Mexico, I have to ask. What’s the best Mexican restaurant in town?

Tracy: Oh, El Familiar, definitely.

FinJ: I haven’t tried that yet! I like El Meson though. Do you hang out downtown often?

Tracy: All the time. I love coming to Zebu, and I go to the library and I love trying all the new restaurants. Because I’m around so much, I got some of the businesses down here to sponsor me so I could afford to go to the competition.

FinJ: Is it expensive?

Tracy: It is. It’s about$1000, but I work two jobs, at CVS and Brookside Assisted Living, and have been saving my money. I’ve been working seven days a week the last couple of months. And I got donations from businesses and family and friends.

FinJ: What do you hope to get out of it?

Tracy: Well, I think it will help my career. It’s going to be really hard to be a model. I’m only 5’5, and they say you have to be 5’7, but I don’t care. I will do it anyway. So I’ll be able to put this on my resume, and I’m taking classes learning how to walk right and hold myself. And, of course, recognition would be great, even if I don’t win.

FinJ: We think you’ll win. Good luck!

Tracy: Thank you!