Miss Teen Great Lakes AmeriFest

Love my sister queen Miss Teen Ohio AmeriFest Rilynn! At the Bruno Mars concert!

Hi! I'm Marissa, your newly crowned 2026 Miss Teen Great Lakes AmeriFest. I am so honored and blessed to be able to represent AmeriFest this year. I value being a working queen and love giving back to my community. Through my platform Marissa's Mews&Chews, I work hard to help every animal find a fur-ever home. I also volunteer with Buddy Up tennis that helps Down Syndrome athletes learn tennis and fitness skills. I love my state of Ohio and can't wait for all of the festivals coming up!

Giving back to my community is very important to me. I participated in my high school's diaper drive to provide diapers for moms and babies in need.

Shout-out to Red Roof Inn for being a sponsor for AmeriFest pageants! They are upscale-economy lodging and offer pet friendly rooms. Thank you Red Roof Inn!

A huge shout-out to AmeriFest Nationals U.S. Star Tanisha for this amazing t-shirt! She made this t-shirt for all the Great Lakes and Ohio queens that traveled to the Bluegrass Pageant. The shirt says "we lift each other up". Tanisha definitely lifts me up! She helps me put on my crown, gives me encouragement, and even prays with me. She's a beautiful person inside and out. I am so grateful and blessed that we are friends!

I had a wonderful time at the Bluegrass Pageant in Kentucky! My sister queens and I got a lot of really good pictures. Miss Teen Ohio AmeriFest Rilynn and I even ate breakfast together! Can't wait for our next time together!

Today, I had the honor to crown the next Miss Teen Great Lakes. We have had a wonderful weekend together! I want to take this time to thank everyone including my parents, family, Carrie, and those who helped sponsor me to get to Nationals. Pageants are more than just a crown, I have learned so much this year from doing interviews, learning how much it means to help others, making friends and memories along the way. I will forever cherish my year as your Miss Teen Great Lakes and I want wish Marissa the best year full of memories and lifelong friendships.
Signing off for the very last time, I am and forever will be your Miss Teen Great Lakes 2025, Aylah Strauss.

This past year I have made so many new friends! I will always cherish the memories that I have made with every single one of you!
4 days until states👑🏖️

❤️Community Service Day❤️
This past weekend I was able to spend the day with my AmeriFest family where we did a community service project! We made blankets for the homeless and Valentine’s Day cards for first responders and nursing homes. It was a great day to catch up with everyone! Thank you Carrie Layne for organizing this!

With the storm coming I dropped some snacks off to ODOT. Thank you so much for all your hard work and please stay safe during the storm. I also want to send a special shoutout to my brother for working to keep our roads safe!