The newest member of Dowagiac’s royal sisterhood will be crowned later this month, as the Miss Dowagiac Scholarship Pageant holds its 76th ceremony on Jan. 24.

Over the next several weeks, the Dowagiac Daily News will feature the profiles of the 12 ladies vying for the crown.

This year’s pageant will be held at 7 p.m. inside the Dowagiac Middle School Performing Arts Center.

Tickets for the event are available inside the office of the Greater Dowagiac Chamber of Commerce, inside the Dowagiac train depot.

First up is contestant number one:

Name: Sabrina Ruiz

Age: 17

Height: 5’4.75”

Eye Color: Brown

Parents/Guardians: Lola and Leo Ruiz

Brothers/Sisters: Jason, 20; Isabella, 11

School Attending: Dowagiac Union High School

Grade: 12

School Activities: Softball, Wahoo Yearbook

Outside Activities: Softball, helping my family with the chickens

Interests and Hobbies: Reading, watching movies, making videos with my sister, riding my bike, playing video games

Awards and Honors: Honors and High Honors

Three words to describe you: Independent, patient, and compassionate

What are your ambitions and plans after graduation? My ambitions and plans after graduation are going to university, making friends, getting a bachelor’s, and continue on to get a Ph.D to become a Clinical Psychologist.

What is your greatest Accomplishments? My greatest accomplishments are getting my terrible GPA up from freshman year, becoming an honors student, and getting into my number one college.

What made you decide to compete for the title of Miss Dowagiac? I decided to compete for the title of Miss Dowagiac when I was younger my parents took me to the Christmas parade. They’d do it every year, but on that particular year they pointed out the Miss Dowagiac float and my mom told me that I’d be there someday. At the time it seemed ludicrous, outlandish, and plain impossible. But at that moment it became a fantasy for me. Because the contestants for Miss Dowagiac weren’t regular people to little me; they were princesses. And for a lot of little girls, including me, the ultimate dream was to be a princess if only for a night. So this is me, achieving a childhood dream. Not a lot of people can say that.