Dartmouth resident wins Miss New Bedford

Dartmouth resident and Dartmouth High School senior Avery Barboza, 18, was crowned Miss New Bedford during the Miss New Bedford Scholarship Program on Saturday, Oct. 3. 

“I had grown up going to all the shows, and wanting to compete was something that I’ve always wanted to do,” said Barboza, “Being able to do it this year was definitely a dream for sure.”

She received a $3,500 college scholarship and another $300 scholarship for winning the Joy and Kindness and Congeniality Awards. 

She is now the 73rd Miss New Bedford, following in the footsteps of her vocal coach who was Miss New Bedford 1987. 

While she always loved the aesthetic of pageants, with the crowds and sashes, she eventually learned that pageants were about so much more. 

“The older I got, the more I realized that this isn’t just about outward appearance but truly who you are as a person, what you care about and what you really want to fight for in life,” Barboza said. 

There are many parts to the competition. The day started early in the morning with the judges interviewing the women. She was asked questions like “What are your hobbies” and “If you were bringing someone to New Bedford for the first time, where would you bring them?” Barboza likes to sing and play piano, and would bring someone to Downtown New Bedford. 

The day continues with an opening dance number, which all the contestants learn and perform together. The competition consists of a few contests: an on-stage question on their community service initiative, a talent portion, fitness where the women model athletic wear in the color red for the American Heart Association and the evening gown portion. 

For her community service initiative, Barboza is going to be working on The Ounce of Hope Initiative. Barboza was born two and a half months premature, which caused a lot of worries for her parents about her physical and mental development. 

“That’s something … that really drew me to this organization. I really love the fact that you’re able to stand up for something that’s so personal to you and to be able to help other people understand why it’s important to you,” Barboza said.

She wants to create outreach programs for families in the same situation, raise awareness and educate the community on the risks associated with premature births. 

“So showing [families] that their child will inevitably beat all the odds and reach the goals that they want to have for themselves in the future is something that I want to help install,” said Barboza. 

She performed “Feeling Good” by Nina Simone for her talent portion. 

Barboza will be continuing onwards in the competition, competing in Miss Massachusetts in 2027. She plans to continue practicing her singing and walk beforehand. 

Her favorite part of the competition was the camaraderie and sisterhood that all the contestants were able to form. 

“As I go on to compete in Miss Massachusetts, I want to bring that same energy and camaraderie to the people that I’m going to be competing against at the state level,” said Barboza, “It was something I truly admired most about my comrades in this part of the competition.”

Barboza currently is interning at a real estate law firm in New Bedford, set up through the Dartmouth High School. She aspires to get her undergraduate degree then go to law school and become a corporate attorney. 

Barboza was surprised to win as this is the first pageant she has competed in. 

“To hear my name be called as the winner was something that was so incredibly rewarding to me,” she said, “This has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl and to be able to finally live out that dream has been so great.”