Exclusive interview with a busy Miss Bonita 2006 Melinda Schuricht

Interview By: Rebecca Bamberger

On another mild, warm day in Bonita, tucked in a corner table in the local Starbucks, Melinda Schuricht, Miss Bonita of 2006, sat down with me to chat about herself and her reign so far as the beauty icon of Bonita. With a firm handshake and upbeat personality, Schuricht is charming, striking just the right balance of confidence and friendliness one would expect from a crowned princess raised in Bonita.

Chula Vista Living: How did you get involved with Miss Bonita? Miss Bonita: Oh gosh, I think my mom found a flyer and contacted Lorraine. That was three years ago because I’ve done it that long. The first time I did it, I got second place and was able to follow Miss Bonita around and observe her duties, shadowing her in a way. The second time around didn’t go so well, but I did get Miss Congeniality, which is pretty cool. The thing about that title is that your peers vote for you. That was a big one, for me. But the Miss Congeniality title was just a one-night event, and I wanted to do more. Lorraine and I stayed in touch, we’re pretty good friends, and she asked me later to hold the title. It was a huge honor.

CVL: Wow. That’s wonderful! So, how did you decide initially to do the pageant? Miss Bonita: You know, I can’t really remember! I was just 15, the youngest the pageant ever had, when I decided to enter.

CVL: You’ve been Miss Bonita since September. Since your reign, what are some of your favorite aspects of wearing the crown? Miss Bonita: Wearing the crown, obviously! (Laughs.) I think just meeting all the types of great people and building great relationships. The people of Bonita really embrace you. They’re constantly inviting you to places. I mean, in the past last couple of weeks, we’ve been to three events.

CVL: What does it mean to you to be the face, the young face, of Bonita? Miss Bonita: It’s an honor. Not everyone gets here. I worked for it, and it wasn’t the first time around. The third time’s a charm, I guess!

CVL: What’s one of your favorite aspects of Bonita? Miss Bonita: I think it would be how small it is. You don’t really see a lot of small town communities around anymore. Even Bonita’s grown a bit.

CVL: What are your future plans? Miss Bonita: I really want to be a teacher and will be probably moving out to Texas in the next two years. Right now I’m a dance instructor with CYT, [Christian Young Theater] and I’ve been doing that for the last year or so. I finish up in two years at SDSU and just got accepted there! I’m taking a full load with my double major, Psychology and Religious Studies.

CVL: What would say is one of your favorite memories of Bonita? Miss Bonita: I’ve always been playing on the AYSO [American Young Soccer Organization] league. I was on the team the day I that I could do it, at five years old. I played constantly, and especially through the divorce of my parents, it was a good aspect for me to have in my life that was stable.

CVL: Being Miss Bonita, how has that developed you, personally? Miss Bonita: It’s helped shaped my character a bit, and my maturity, just having to dress up so often. (Laughs)

CVL: I bet. Miss Bonita: You polish up your speech, your prose, you become a young lady.

CVL: What would you say to aspiring Miss Bonitas? Miss Bonita: Don’t give up. Doing it one time and not winning, is a let down. Doing it twice and not winning, is a let down. But staying in touch with the Lorraine, showing my interest, paid off. You have to stay with it.

Lorraine Johnson has twenty years of experience as the Miss Bonita pageant director and has mentored numerous Miss Bonitas throughout the years. When asked about Schuricht, she smiled and immediately said, "Melinda is such a delightful young lady who believes in the program. She’s working so hard to achieve her goals, and she will."