Penelope Ng Pack, who placed third runner-up in the Miss Hawaii competition last year, bounced back to win the title of Miss Chinatown Hawaii in September, and was crowned Miss Hawaii 2018 on June 2. She’ll will represent Hawaii at the 98th Miss America Pageant in Atlantic City, N.J., in September.
Outside the world of pageant competition, Ng Pack is a 2016 graduate of American University in Washington, D.C., has a degree in business administration, and is an assistant account executive at the advertising firm MVNP in Honolulu.
She is celebrating her 24th birthday today.
JOHN BERGER: You didn’t win the talent category, but your fully choreographed rendition of “They Just Keep Moving the Line” was a showstopper in the best sense of the word. What drew you to that song?
PENELOPE NG PACK: The words are about perseverance and determination, but for me it is also about challenging myself. I never thought that I could sing such a big song. But I gave it a try and I fell in love with it. Not only with the jazz, musical-theater-style arrangement but also the message.
JB: You were one of the few contestants who actually answered the onstage question you were asked. How difficult is it to answer a question onstage?
PNP: Often times if you’re nervous you want to say something intelligent but what you say fails to answer the question. Knowing that, I made preparing for the interview the most important part of my preparation.
JB: The audience doesn’t see the judges’ interview, which counts for 25 percent of your score. What is something you would like to have been asked?
PNP: Something I really wanted to share in my judges’ interview is why I chose to attend American University and get my degree rather competing on “The Voice.”
My Chinese grandmother chose to become a picture bride at 16 and marry my grandfather in Trinidad to help support her family instead of going to high school. From then, my grandparents took risks — moving to London and then to New York — so that my dad and his siblings could get an education. Then my dad worked as a grocery bagger and taxi driver in New York before he took the risk of coming to Hawaii and starting from the bottom in advertising here.
They did all that to create the opportunities I have today. That’s what I wanted to share.
JB: How do you feel about the decision made by the national Miss America organization to eliminate the swimsuit competition?
PNP: The “Lifestyle and Fitness” phase of the competition — also known as “swimsuit” — empowered me to embrace my curves and balance them with strength, and become the strongest and healthiest version of myself.
But I’m looking forward to being a part of the first class of Miss America 2.0 and continuing to represent service, scholarship, style, success, and most of all, the empowered diverse American woman.
JB: Is there something about you that might surprise people?
PNP: Thirty years ago my mom was Miss Central Oahu 1988 Monica Domaloan. The week of my competition the Miss Hawaii organization posted a video of the opening number from her year and I was so excited to watch her perform.
JB: What would you like to be doing five years from now?
PNP: I plan to have my MBA and be a marketing executive working in advertising here in Hawaii.
