Pursuing Her Dreams: Buonomo Is A Contestant in Miss Mass. USA Pageant

Deanna Buonomo is having a very good week.

The 23-year-old Winthrop resident was notified that she had been accepted as a contestant in the Miss Massachusetts USA Pageant that will be held in November at the Lowell Auditorium.

The pageant system, which is owned by Donald Trump, leads to the nationally televised Miss USA and Miss Universe Pageants.

Buonomo also took a big step this week in her aspirations to be an actress. The vivacious 5-feet-7-inch daughter of Paul and Donna Buonomo was casted in a role in the sequel, “Ted 2,” a movie about a talking teddy bear starring Mark Wahlberg. The  comedy, “Ted,” was a huge hit at the box office, with many of the scenes being filmed in and around Boston.

The beauty pageant and acting pursuits appear to be a distant sphere from her major field of study at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy. She received a degree in Pharmaceutical and Health Care Business, graduating in 2013.

But her entrance into the world of pageants and movies really isn’t an entirely new direction. Buonomo grew up taking acting lessons at Trudy Macero’s Winthrop School of Performing Arts. She played Dorothy in a middle school production of “The Wizard of Oz,” and appeared in a television commercial. She also won a couple of junior beauty pageants.

At Winthrop High School, she played softball, participated in gymnastics, and was captain of the football cheerleading squad and a peer mentor in the Lifeskills Program. She graduated with a 3.7 grade point average in 2009.

While a student at MCP, she earned a position on the college’s cheerleading All-Star team and participated in the Fenway Dance Project and the Dynamix Dance Club. She excelled academically, having been selected for membership in the Pharmaceutical Business and Science Society.

She has also taken part in the Million Mile Run, raising funds for Alex’s Lemonade Stand, a charity that supports pediatric cancer research.

Buonomo had submitted applications for the Miss Massachusetts Teen and USA Pageants in the past. “I sent in an application this year and they called me immediately,” said Buonomo. “I was interviewed by the pageant coordinator and she accepted me as a contestant.”

Buonomo will compete with 60 other contestants for the title of Miss Massachusetts. She will walk the runway in swimsuit and evening gown competitions. A panel of judges will interview each contestant.

She has begun preparations for the pageant. “I’ve been going to the gym [Planet Fitness] and Crossfit 1630 in Braintree,” said Buonomo, who will also be fundraising to defray expenses for her pageant experience.

“I’m really excited about the pageant,” said Buonomo. “It’s just been a whirlwind of a week. This could be the start to a dream career.”