A Lake Oswego small business owner and her daughter became the first mother-daughter duo to earn the titles of Mrs. Oregon American and Miss Oregon for America Strong during a recent pageant.

Melania Varga-Jarrett competed against other married women and won the title of Mrs. Oregon American while West Linn High School graduate Faith Varga competed against unmarried women and received the title of Miss Oregon for America Strong as part of the Oregon Pageants Inc. process (part of Mrs. America Inc.) in May.

The women underwent interviews, modeled evening gowns and swimsuits and established  charitable platforms as part of the pageant.

Varga-Jarrett, who owns a local senior home called Oswego Cottage, chose child exploitation and trafficking and is working with Safety Compass, which offers advocacy services to victims of sexual exploitation and human trafficking. Her goal is to establish more education and awareness at local schools about this issue.

“There is no education on child exploitation and human trafficking in (Lake Oswego) schools,” she said. “We would like kids to be taught how not to engage and what danger looks like.”

Varga, for her part, chose suicide prevention and drug use.

“I want to support those who don’t have a voice and don’t feel brave enough to speak up for themselves,” she said.

Varga-Jarrett encouraged her daughter to run for Miss Oregon because she felt it would challenge her and force her to “walk her talk.”

Varga told judges in an interview question about how she detaches from social media and other aspects of our fast-paced world. She said character is built in silence and that her relationship with God is key.

“I said I try to connect with what is real — spending time with God, journaling, family and friends, photography and character growth,” Varga said.

Varga-Jarrett felt that what made her stand out from the competition was authenticity and an ability to speak well in responding to impromptu questions. She said her daughter is also adept in these areas.

Varga remembers the look of excitement on her mom’s face when she found out her daughter had won Miss Oregon, and the elation doubled when they both garnered their desired awards.

“She was so proud of me and it made me cry watching her reaction to her winning,” Varga said.

“I wish someone could have caught my reaction,” Varga-Jarrett said of her daughter winning. “For me that was enough. When she won, I was so excited. I didn’t think I would get the next crown. It’s still surreal and such an honor to represent the state of Oregon.”

The mother-daughter duo will travel to Las Vegas in August to compete in national events (the Mrs. American National Pageant and the Miss for America Strong National Pageant and will both work to further their platforms as well as attend local events. “I want to be able to dive into my platform and really touch the lives of others and be a light to everyone and lead by example,” Varga said.

They will be joined by Raquel Hays of Eugene, who won the Mrs. Oregon America title.

“I’m excited to support these incredible women as they represent the beautiful state of Oregon on a national stage in Las Vegas. We as Oregon Pageants Inc are proud of all of the ladies who competed at our state pageants this year,” Oregon Pageants Inc. Executive Directive Kara Alicia said.