Miss New Jersey 2019: Belmar woman aims for Miss America crown
UPDATE: This story was updated to clarify that Glab is the first Monmouth County native since 2009 to be named Miss New Jersey.
BELMAR - Jade Glab, 19, competed in her first pageant when she was 14 years old.
Some might say she got a late start — many girls begin participating at a much younger age — but the Belmar native had been inspired by watching “Miss America” on television and decided to sign up for her local competition.
She didn’t win on her first try — in fact, she would participate in eight competitions before capturing her first crown at a teen pageant in Gloucester County. And she didn’t stop there.
On a stage in Atlantic City on June 15 as Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely” played in the background, Glab was named this year’s Miss New Jersey.
“It was just completely surreal,” Glab said. “When my name was finally called, I didn’t think it was me. And it was just amazing. I was just so excited and humbled to be there.”
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Glab became the first Monmouth County native since 2009 and the first-ever Asian American to earn the coveted Miss New Jersey crown. She’ll now spend the next year traveling across the state and making appearances before participating in the nationally televised Miss America competition.
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She will also receive a $16,000 scholarship — an amount that will continue to grow as the Miss America competition gets closer. Glab graduated from Brookdale Community College this spring, and was set to attend the University of Virginia as a transfer student and study finance, but will now put that off for a year to fulfill her obligations as Miss New Jersey.
“In the very first moment of it, you’re not really thinking about the logistics of how everything is going to work out, because you just won Miss New Jersey, it’s a crazy moment,” Glab said. “It started to set in and I was like, you know, I am a little bit disappointed about (not going to UVA), but what I had to realize is Miss New Jersey is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. … I’m going to take this year and really make the most of it.”
Glab’s interest in competitions began as a way to showcase her joint passions for singing and business. As a vocal major in Red Bank Regional’s Visual and Performing Arts Academy, she participated in All Shore, All State and All Eastern Region Chorus ensembles, and learned how to sing in four languages.
She also wanted to focus on business, and promote her ideas of healthy and cost-effective eating — her ultimate goal, she said, is to one day open a healthy fast-food drive-thru restaurant.
Competitions — which have talent showcase and interview components — were a great way to do that, she said. Glab was named Miss Bergen County’s Outstanding Teen in 2016; Miss Monmouth County in 2018; and, this January, became the inaugural Miss Central Jersey Beaches.
"She was the hardest-working young person I have ever worked with," said Elise Ennis, who worked with Glab at Miss Bergen County's Outstanding Teen in 2016. "Jade has this ability to take any sort of constructive criticism or advice and not take it to heart, and just apply it."
The crown in January earned her a chance to compete for the Miss New Jersey title. At the competition, she performed an Italian aria; spoke on the challenges women face in the world of finance; and promoted her platform for healthy lifestyles.
Her showing in Atlantic City reflected all of her talents, said Gina Marcello, one of Glab’s directors who help her with her work.
"She represents everything that a Miss New Jersey should be," Marcello said. "She's talented, she's smart, she's beautiful and, more importantly, she cares about the community. Jade is the real deal."
A date and location have yet to be determined for the Miss America 2020 pageant — 22 states still have to hold their own competitions. Organizers have already determined that it will not be held at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City for financial reasons, after the competition had been staged at the iconic New Jersey venue for nearly 80 years.
Until then, Glab’s job is to serve as Miss New Jersey. Her calendar is already full of golf outings, charity events and galas to attend.
She’s excited for the new opportunity — this will be just the te time Monmouth County has been represented in Miss America’s 92-year history — which she hopes will encourage more New Jerseyans to participate in competitions. Ashley Shaffer, a Millstone Township native, was crowned Miss New Jersey in 2009.
“There’s currently one-third of counties that weren’t represented in our state competition this year, and this is something I definitely want to change,” she said. “I want to increase involvement from women all around the state so that we can really have a diverse Miss New Jersey competition.”
Ella Brockway is an Asbury Park Press intern from Shrewsbury who studies journalism at Northwestern University. She can be reached at 732-643-4264; ebrockway@gannettnj.com; or @ellabrockway