Miss New Jersey Teen USA 2016, 3rd runner-up 2015
A native of Oceanport, Gina Mellish was crowned Miss New Jersey USA 2020 on 24 November 2019 and represented New Jersey at Miss USA 2020 in Memphis, Tennessee. Gina graduated with a degree in Fashion Merchandising from Marist College in 2020 and has since launched a successful jewellery line, “Gina the Brand”, worn by Miss Universe Harnaaz Sandhu.
Miss New Jersey USA 2020 Gina Mellish, 20, of Oceanport, New Jersey is a senior at Marist College and plans to graduate with her degree in Fashion Merchandising in the Spring of 2020. Pageantry is no foreign affair to Gina, having formerly captured the title of Miss New Jersey Teen USA 2016 at just 16 years old. However, she fulfilled her lifelong dream of holding the Miss New Jersey USA title after her first attempt at competing for the crown!
Gina graduated from Red Bank Catholic High School in 2016 where she played varsity volleyball and basketball, was active with the Make A Wish Foundation, and President of the Fashion Club. It was then that she decided to pursue her career in the fashion industry and started her college career at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York at 17 years old. At Marist College, Gina is pursuing a degree in Fashion Merchandising with a concentration in Promotion. Her career goal is to hold the position of Director of Public Relations for a luxury fashion house. She has a strong passion for the luxury market and will be interning this Spring for renowned Italian fashion house, Giorgio Armani in New York City in Public Relations and Marketing. She has also had the opportunity to intern with Jovani Fashions and Cara Benevenia in Public Relations and Social Media.
She is also a member of Alpha Sigma Tau sorority at Marist where she is a Big to Miss New York Teen USA 2019, Hailey Germano! Crowns run in the family! She is also the Director of Social Media for the student run store at Marist College called MPorium and has spoken on Marist College’s Women in Leadership Panel.
Gina is a Trained Facilitator for the Escalation Workshop for the One Love Foundation where she helps educate young men and women about healthy relationships, empowering them to identify and avoid abuse and learn how to love better. Having experienced relationship violence first hand, Gina is passionate about using her reign to be a voice for those affected by relationship abuse and touch as many lives as possible with One Love’s Workshop. By teaching young people what healthy behaviors look like, together we can change the statistics around domestic violence.
In her free time, Gina loves to travel! She spent a semester studying fashion and cooking in Florence, Italy and has been to 14 countries and 25 cities abroad. Her favorite places to visit include Prague and Amsterdam but she has a few more countries on her bucket list, including Tokyo and Venezuela!
Gina is overwhelmed with joy and gratitude to be able to represent New Jersey at the 2020 Miss USA Pageant and is passionate about using her title of Miss New Jersey USA to be a role model for young women and show them that beauty isn’t just about the outside.
The on-stage moments, the tension of the final two and the glory of the crowning, here are Gina’s state pageant photos.
Lights, camera, action! Professional photoshoots are one of the perks that comes from winning a title.
Head back to Gina’s Teen era. She won Miss New Jersey Teen USA 2016 on her second try (she was 3rd runner-up in 2015) and then represented New Jersey at Miss Teen USA in Las Vegas.
All beautiful things must come to an end, no matter how bittersweet. See Gina’s farewell walk and other candids from the weekend she crowned her successor Celinda Ortega as Miss New Jersey USA 2021.
Winning a state title is a sisterhood for life. Here are “after the crown” photos, including the Miss USA 2021 San Diego reunion.
