Miss Fountain Valley gets her wish, making others' come true

Los Angeles Times

06-03-2025

Jackelyn Carbajal earned the title of Miss Fountain Valley in her final year of eligibility for the Miss America competition.
Carbajal, a 27-year-old resident of Orange, has spent the past eight years partnering with the nonprofit Make-A-Wish to help others realize their dreams.
Her community service initiative, 'A Smile for a Child,' was inspired by two childhood friends she identified as Rebecca and Jonathan, both of whom she said were 'Wish Kids who unfortunately never made it to their wish day.' She had grown up with both in North Hollywood.
'Deep down, I knew that there were so many other kids who were also in their shoes,' Carbajal said. 'I made it my ultimate goal in life to just grant as many wishes in my life as I can, and so far, I've granted 24 wishes. I've been part of the Make-A-Wish Orange County and Los Angeles chapters for a combination of eight years.'
As the winner of the crown at the Miss Fountain Valley competition, which was held on Feb. 2 at the Saigon Grand Center, Carbajal was awarded a $5,000 scholarship. She also received a diamond pendant from Mimi's Jewelry, a Fountain Valley-based jeweler.
'It's very exciting to be able to close my chapter with an organization that's really dedicated to embracing and empowering women,' said Carbajal, who said she performed 'Over the Rainbow' on the ukulele for the talent portion of the competition.
A CSU San Bernardino graduate with a bachelor's degree in marketing, Carbajal now works locally as a digital fundraising coordinator at PBS SoCal in Costa Mesa.
'I've learned a lot about not just the public media aspect, but the value of production and of service when it comes to quality content,' Carbajal said of her job. 'I think my goal is to be able to go and get my master's [degree] in business analytics or in post production.
'I do eventually want to become a creative director for PBS Kids. That's always been my goal, to just do storytelling in a children's programming world, so I think if I can get there — and this scholarship will definitely lead me to my first footsteps into returning back to university — I'm excited to see what my next couple years are going to look like.'
Participation in pageants had also been a part of early life for Carbajal's mother, Bolena. Carbajal said she felt that pageants had their benefits in building confidence and providing opportunities for one to learn about stage presence.
Carbajal, who speaks English, Spanish and the indigenous Mayan language Mam, is also helping others find their voice.
'I actually host public speaking and mentoring workshops across California,' Carbajal said. 'I actually go to a native reservation in New Mexico. It's called the Zuni Pueblo, and I teach children there, ages 7 to 12, on how to be able to build confidence skills. Also, public speaking skills because a lot of these kids are very involved with their governor and with their council. … I help them pretty much prep for speeches and for presentations.'
For the first time, the pageant also awarded a crown for Miss Fountain Valley Teen, the title going to Huntington Beach High senior Laurel Brookhyser.
Pageant honorees were recognized by the Fountain Valley City Council on Tuesday. When given the floor to talk about her platform, Brookhyser, who is also a musical theater major and a dance minor at the Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts, said she plans to make the arts more accessible.
Brookhyser, who showcased her vocal performance skills in the competition, received a $500 scholarship. Mimi's Jewelry gifted her a silver crown necklace.
Carbajal and Brookhyser will both compete in the Miss California event in Visalia in June, which will serve as a preliminary to the Miss America pageant.
'My community service initiative through Miss America is 'Art for the Heart,'' Brookhyser told the council. 'It's promoting arts education for underserved communities who may not have the access to arts education that we do here.'
Lauren Worley earned first runner-up honors in the Miss Fountain Valley competition, taking home a $1,000 scholarship. She is a business administration major at Mount Saint Mary's University.
Britney Lam, a graduate of Concordia University, and Isabel Tuman, who attends Golden West College, were named second and third runner-up, respectively.
Addison Phan of Fountain Valley High was the first runner-up in the teen competition.