girl’s statement about what connects her to Roselle.

“We’re trying to get away from the traditional pageant sense of what it used to be,” Petrucci said. “We’re hoping it’s well received. This is the first time we’re doing that.”

There’s also a talent competition and a segment where competitors are asked to respond to a randomly selected question.

During the formalwear portion of the evening, Petrucci said the girls enter the stage accompanied by an escort who could be anyone close to them — a best friend, a little brother, a boyfriend, a mother.

Biernacki’s escort for the formalwear segment was her aunt, Julie Christiansen, who was undergoing cancer treatment at the time. Biernacki, of Bloomingdale, said she dedicated her self-choreographed lyrical dance during the talent portion of the show to Christiansen.

Getting up in front of a crowd comes easily for Biernacki.

“I’m not typically bothered by stage fright,” she said. “I love speaking. I also am a dancer and I love performing.”

Biernacki said she was thrilled to win the crown last year.

“The thought that I could win Rose Queen made me ecstatic,” she said.

She said she is looking at colleges that range from “COD to a school in Spain. I want to study teaching or journalism.”

Her advice for this year’s contestants is simple:

“There’s nothing more important than being themselves on stage,” she said. “Every single one is a star. Just have fun.”