Love conquers all: New Miss Fountain Valley court is set

Love Bradley has experienced the world of pageantry since she her early teens, but every journey has a starting point.

The 13-year-old girl that entered a pageant for the first time several years ago believed herself to be shy, so even though she was following in the footsteps of her sister, Bradley wasn’t sure how she would handle it.

“I had won that night the on-stage question,” said Bradley, recalling her initial pageant for Miss Los Angeles County. “The moment I won, I felt empowered because even though I lost the competition, I always felt like I was a shy person, a little timid when it came to public speaking, and the fact that I was able to win the part of competition that I was the most scared of motivated me to continue my journey in pageantry.”

Bradley, now 19 and a biomedical engineering student at UC Irvine, will serve as Miss Fountain Valley for the year ahead after winning the crown on Feb. 4.

Building relationships with fellow participants has become a focus over the years for Bradley, who has learned the importance of lifting up others. Formerly a tennis player at Rancho Cucamonga High, Bradley sees the elements of teamwork in pageantry, too.

“It’s an empowering woman competition, not a beauty contest,” Bradley said. “It allows you to share your voice [and] share your passion on stage … while being the best version of you.”

In some ways, the first name Bradley was given at birth as a call to action.

“I have to make sure that I spread love within everything that I do,” Bradley said.

Bradley said she has been driven by community service. When she was younger, her social impact initiative focused on youth leadership. This time around, she plans to use her platform to inspire women to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

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Representatives of the Miss Fountain Valley court appeared at City Hall on Tuesday night, where they were recognized by the City Council. Members of the court will be making appearances at community events throughout the year.

Sandi Licata, the executive director of the Miss Fountain Valley Scholarship program, said the pageant took place before a sellout crowd at Golden West College.

Bradley received a $5,000 scholarship from the Fountain Valley Community Foundation, as well as a diamond pendant necklace from David Truong of Mimi’s Jewelry. She was also recognized as Miss Congeniality and won the Spirit of Miss Fountain Valley award at the event.

Delilah Cunneen won a $1,000 scholarship as the runner-up, and she also received a $700 scholarship for community service. Danielle Pham was awarded a $700 scholarship for work related to childhood mental health. Amanda Nguyen received $500 as the academic scholarship winner.

Alexis Brown (third, $750), Lauren Worley (fourth, $500), Hannah Nguyen (fifth, $250) placed in that order.

“I’ve seen that you don’t really have enemies,” Bradley said of competing in pageantry. “You don’t have women that are trying to tear you down. Instead, you have sisters who embrace you, sisters who want to uplift you, and sisters who want you to get the crown just as much as they want the crown themselves. …

“Some of these women, I can honestly see them being my bridesmaids, being at my wedding and just going through all the most important moments of life with.”