Local girl wins state title

National American Miss Florida Princess 4-6 Ellysa Resnick poses with her brother Jaxon and mother Shuanna Resnick at the state pageant in Orlando. [Submitted photo]

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Posted August 4, 2025 | By Susan Smiley-Height, [email protected]

Armed with a bright smile and an eye to the future, Ellysa Resnick, a youngster from Marion County, captured the National American Miss Florida Princess title for ages 4 to 6 in the Florida state pageant in late July in Orlando.

She also received awards for Fun Fitness, 1st Runner-up; Casual Wear, 2nd Runner-up; Dream Model, 1st Runner-up; and Photogenic, 2nd Runner-up.

Ellysa, 6, the daughter of Shuanna and Frederick Resnick, received an invitation to compete at the national NAM pageant, which will be held in Orlando during Thanksgiving Week.

When the “Gazette” asked Ellysa what she learned by participating in the pageant and how it felt to win, she replied: “What I learned from participating in the pageant is being confident and kind. How it felt to be crowned National American Miss Florida Princess was great and perfect.  I loved it there.”

Ellysa’s other interests include gymnastics, reading, cheerleading and ballet.

NAM awards more than $1.5 million in cash, scholarships and prizes each year. Pageants are held in each state for girls and women ages 4 to 39, across seven age divisions. To encourage a healthy self-image, makeup is not permitted in Junior Divisions. Participants gain self-confidence, build life skills, develop a positive approach to competition and are inspired to set and achieve meaningful goals, the news release noted.

According to her mother, Ellysa also has earned pageant titles including Tiny Miss International Girl 2022, Teeny Miss Universal Global USA 2023 and Teeny Miss Universal Global International 2024.

“Participation has helped her by showing dedication, commitment, how to serve in her community and how to set goals. She likes to set goals, and she doesn’t quit even when it seems difficult. One of her long-term goals is to be Miss USA. The next step is to compete at nationals in November,” Shuanna Resnick said.

In 2021, Ocala’s Anna Ross won the National American Miss title. Ross attended Blessed Trinity School, Trinity Catholic High School and Florida Virtual School before enrolling at American University in Washington, D.C. She was competing for the top title in 2021 as Miss District of Columbia. She had previously competed as Miss Ocala and Miss Florida.

In an article in the “Gazette” after her win, Ross said her experiences with National American Miss helped her become more comfortable speaking in public and participating in interviews.

“The main mission is to equip us with the life skills we need to succeed in the future,” she said.

To learn more, go to namiss.com