Mon, 05/17/2021 - 12:00pm

George Harvey

Carolyn Augusto and her niece Autumn Oxton at the state pageant. (Photo courtesy Angimarie Photography)

(Photo courtesy Angimarie Photography)

Carolyn Augusto and her niece Autumn Oxton at the state pageant. (Photo courtesy Angimarie Photography)

(Photo courtesy Angimarie Photography)

VINALHAVEN — The State of Maine is poised to be represented by an aunt-and-niece duo from Vinalhaven during the upcoming Mrs. International and Miss Teen International pageants this summer.

Carolyn Augusto, 48, and her niece, Autumn Oxton, 18, will be representing Maine during the July competitions in Kingsport, Tennessee. Augusto competes July 23 and 24, while Oxton competes July 29 and 31. Throughout the year, the duo will also promote their respective pageant platforms and participate in volunteer activities.

Augusto is the wife of Mark Augusto, Sr., mother to five and grandmother to 11. She teaches special education, theater an social studies at the Vinalhaven School, and has served the island community as a baseball bookkeeper, Little League volunteer, former Little Miss Vinalhaven coordinator, class advisor, former basketball bookkeeper and former Vinalhaven High School alumni treasurer.

Augusto earned a bachelor’s in business education from Husson University and tailored her pageant platform around Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Awareness and childhood trauma.

Oxton is the daughter of Collete and Timothy Oxton and a sister to Ivy. A senior at the Vinalhaven School, Oxton has a 4.0 GPA and also attends the Midcoast School of Technology in Rockland. She is a certified nursing assistant, holds a certificate in welding and is a teacher’s welding assistant.

Oxton is the captain of her school’s cheerleading squad, a class president, former volunteer firefighter, manager for the Lincoln County football team and member of the National Technical Honor Society, Skills USA and the Vinalhaven yearbook club.

Oxton’s pageant platform is sexual assault awareness, and she will begin studying at the Aveda Institute in Augusta starting in June.

Augusto, as an adventurous person and repeat pageant contender, opted to participate after Oxton approached her with the invitation.

“Doing the pageants with my niece gives us time to spend together,” said Augusto, who has been crowned 1989 Miss Vinalhaven, 1993 Blueberry Queen and 2020 Ms. Maine Harvest.

Augusto enjoyed the concept of showcasing her platform for this pageant, meeting women from around the state deeply involved in their communities, and, most importantly, being part of a system empowering women and encouraging family values.

The opportunity to represent her native state and share the beauty of the Pine Tree State with the rest of the country at the national pageant competition is “extremely heartwarming” for Augusto.

“Maine is such a unique place to live, and living on Vinalhaven is even more unique,” said Augusto. “I love Mainers, we are a rugged breed, rooted in tradition and values. We are hard workers with a strong sense of community. Maine is extremely beautiful and untouched by society in many ways.”

Oxford, meanwhile, opted to pursue this pageant since the system was “more inclusive to women and less about your weight and height.”

The pageant, on its website, in fact, notes it was created three decades ago to have higher standards than other pageant systems and to promote, at the Mrs. International level Augusto is competing at, today’s married women, their accomplishments, and commitment to family and marriage.

“It was refreshing to know that not every pageant is about your size this pageant is about you, your character and your story also known as your platform,” she commented.

In 2019, Oxford was first runner up before taking home the state title in 2021 along with a trio of accolades for best gown, best interview and best talent at the state competition.

To donate to fundraising efforts for Augusto, click here. To donate to fundraising efforts for Oxton, click here.