Gabriella is an adventurous and slightly edgy 15-year-old girl from Decatur, IL with a dream of creating makeup looks for the big screen, and a very strong love of Taco Bell. She is an honor student at Eisenhower High School, who passionately sings in Concert Choir and an A Capella group, “The Mic and Ikes.” She is the 2014 National American Miss Illinois Jr. Teen. She placed as a semi-finalist her first year competing and her determination and newfound confidence allowed her to be crowned as the new Miss Illinois Jr. Teen the following year. Participating in NAM (National American Miss) improved her interview skills and overall confidence. Before NAM, she could barely look people in the eye when she talked to them, and now Gabriella can speak confidently and clearly to anyone in the room. NAM has truly changed her life.
Name: Gabriella Maria Tortorice
Age: 15
Hometown: Decatur, IL
Three things you love: Musical Theatre, Taco Bell, makeup
Three things you hate: Mayonnaise, Buicks (those cars always have given me a weird vibe), people with no ambition
Movie: My Cousin Vinny
Book: Stolen by: Lucy Christopher
Food: Taco Bell
Celebrity: Curtis Lepore
Song: That’s like picking between my children if I had them, I love all Music!
Color: Blue
Quote: “Elegance is when the inside is as beautiful as the outside.” -Coco Chanel
I really love my naturally curly hair. It may be hard to manage the thick ball of frizz that I wake up with, but I love that it makes me different. I love to be different in every aspect of my life whether it be my hair, my style, or my ambitions.
Timmy Turner’s dad, Mr. Turner. Everything he says cracks me up. It’s especially funny when he blames a tragedy on…”Dinkleburg.”
I would definitely buy more makeup and brushes for my collection and my special effects kit. I would also without a doubt buy a pair of white studded Christian Louboutin high heels, because I’ve always dreamed of walking in a pair of his shoes. After that I would take my family and friends to a really fancy dinner and if I had any leftover, I would save it for a rainy day.
I would relive the day when I went on the Hollywood tour when I was in California for Nationals. I saw so many things I had only ever seen on T.V. I had never even seen the ocean before that. When we went to Venice Beach, I felt like a little kid standing in the waves and looking out at the vastness of the Pacific Ocean. The day was filled with so many memories, and I wish I could enjoy them all over again.
When my mom and dad were planning on having me they decided if I was a girl my name would be Gabriella. As for my last name, It’s derived from the original surname (Tortorici) that my father’s family brought over from Sicily when they immigrated to the United States in the late 1800’s.
I would be a California Condor. I’ve always wondered what it would be like to fly above everything. I would also enjoy looking rather majestic while perched upon a mountain top.
