In 2012, Cate Carlin won the title of Miss Santa Clara 2012 and received $5,200 in scholarship money applied to her studies for a Bachelor’s Degree in Child Development at San Jose State University, and a Master’s Degree in Education and teaching credentials at Santa Clara University. Having worked as an educator, Carlin is now a busy mom and, with her husband, runs a side business called Kane and Ruby selling her husband’s leather goods and her custom onesies, tees and wood signs.
Ten years since she became a titleholder, Carlin is giving back by taking on the role of being the new Executive Director of the Miss Mission City Organization.
“The organization taught me to be confident in myself,” Carlin said. “It is my turn to pay my dues. It is a good opportunity to give this gift to someone else.”
This year, the City of Santa Clara allowed the Miss Mission City Organization to use the event venue at the Community Recreation Center (CRC) for free. In her new role, Carlin looks forward to working with the City of Santa Clara.
On the afternoon of Feb. 19, the energy at CRC was high as eight women competed for scholarships and pageant titles in this year’s scholarship competition, hosted by Tony Moises. The Miss Mission City Organization gave away scholarships with money saved from previous competitions. Each contestant received a minimum scholarship of $150 for competing.
Miss Santa Clara 2022 is Tiffany Austin, 23, a Santa Clara resident who won $1,000. During the talent segment, Austin delivered a passionate monologue from “Grey’s Anatomy.” This articulate senior at California State University, Northridge will graduate this spring with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology.
“I’m looking into educational counseling and prospectively want to work with community college students,” Austin said. “I myself attended Foothill College and De Anza College because of the support system I had there. I hope to work with people who have psychological disabilities through counseling.
“I have experienced depression and I received disability services through Foothill College,” Austin continued. “I want other students to get this benefit just like I had.”
Austin’s social impact initiative, or platform, is about supporting developing children and young adults with their mental health.
“That group, in particular, has been seriously impacted by the pandemic,” Austin said. “I plan to visit schools and would love to get conversations going about mental health and be able to show students they have a support system and resources accumulated to their needs.”
Miss Mission City 2022 is Cassandra Areff, 18, a freshman at U.C. Berkeley studying Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Areff is a member of the school’s STEM Excellence through Equity & Diversity (SEED) Scholars Honors Program. For the talent segment, Areff sang, with spirit, a Broadway song. This lively native of San Carlos won a total of $1,100 for securing the pageant title and for her outstanding interview.
“I plan to use this scholarship money to pay for my undergraduate degree. Right now, I’m interested in working on healthcare technology,” Areff said. “Technology is taking over all aspects of our lives. It is important to take into consideration any biases or limitations that will emerge with the implementation of these new technologies and ensure the technology is working to improve all patients’ quality of care.”
Areff’s social impact initiative focuses on the gender gap in STEM fields, specifically Computer Science.
“I want to use my platform to increase women’s opportunities in STEM and Computer Science,” Areff said. “I am very excited to develop and distribute resources, partner with existing organizations and help introduce Computer Science to women in an inclusive way.”