Ava Celentano made her hometown of North Haven proud when she was crowned Miss Connecticut Teen USA as the youngest contestant in the pageant at age 14 on April 14.

Ava recalls the moment she was announced as the victor of the competition as “a dream for me,” one which was full of emotions.

“It was definitely a really surreal moment. I was so shocked and so excited,” Ava says. “Since I was 10 years old, I’ve been wanting to compete at Connecticut Teen USA. I was going there to get my feet wet, join the system, and I didn't expect to leave with the crown.”

Ava began competing in youth pageants at age 8, discovering the Miss Connecticut Teen USA pageant around two years later. She was drawn to the competition since it gives young women an opportunity to stand up on a stage and build up their self-confidence.

“There’s so many great girls. The system is really amazing,” says Ava. “I've met so many girls throughout my experience. My best friend I met through a pageant when I was really young. It's just such a great environment, and it's really taught me a lot about self-confidence and just loving who you are.”

Ava has stood on even bigger stages, having also worked with designers during New York Fashion Week and being featured on a billboard in Times Square for Supermodels Unlimited.

For Ava, the competition was a three-day process which began with a five-minute interview with judges where she talked about herself, accounting for 50% of the final score. The second day were the preliminaries where competitors shared the opening number presentation in various outfits, including gowns, a process which was repeated with official scores drawn the following day to determine the top five.

“After the top five was called, each girl from the top five has to answer an onstage question. Every girl got asked the same question. We all put headphones on so we couldn't hear each other's responses. That's the final portion of judging,” Ava says.

It was after the question portion, which required Ava to answer how she would use her title to inspire young people in Connecticut, that she was announced as the winner. In her response, Ava talked about a children’s book she authored which is “all about inclusivity, positivity, and accepting people,” and that she wants to read to elementary school students across the state once illustrations are finalized as part of its publication. The message hits home for Ava personally, and she feels that it’s an important one for very young students.

“People need to accept other people's differences,” Ava says. “I have a chronic illness, and so I know I'm a little bit different from some people. I just want to show people that they're not alone, and that nothing’s wrong with being different, and that we're all unique in our own ways.”

Ava’s passion for spreading a message of positivity and altruism began when she started her platform Action for Animals to assist furry friends in shelters. That started when Ava had a big green box placed in her elementary school for the donation of to-be recycled cans and bottles, with the proceeds going to purchase supplies for animal shelters.

Ava is looking to expand her platform by not just collecting recyclables to raise money for supplies, but also to “further promote animal adoption.”

“One of my current plans is I’m working on a calendar, and it's going to include pictures of all the animals in the shelter,” Ava says. “When people buy it, all the proceeds will be going to the animal shelters, but also, people will be learning about all these animals and, hopefully, we can find them their forever homes.”

Ava is also involved with Lasagna Love, dropping off baked lasagnas to families in need of a warm meal for dinner. When it comes to a career, Ava is looking to attend a competitive higher education institution for medical studies with a dream of working with children in pediatrics.

At just 14 years old, Ava is clearly full of accomplishments. However, whatever accomplishments one wishes to fulfill, Ava reminds everyone that it is important to “always believe in yourself,” regardless of how old you are.

“Age doesn't define how able you are to do anything,” says Ava. “When I came into the pageant, I was nervous after finding out I was the youngest competitor, but here I am. I was able to compete at my best, and I think being confident and always trying new things is definitely the way to go. Stay confident.”

Ava will be representing Connecticut this summer at the national Miss Teen USA pageant in Hollywood, California, which is set to broadcast live on The CW on Thursday, Aug. 1.