Miss Czech-Slovak US is a national cultural pageant to celebrate young women of Czech, Moravian, Silesian and/or Slovak descent.
Phillips, Wisconsin has deep connections to the Czech Republic.
Each year, they hold an annual Czech-Slovak Festival to celebrate their heritage, and in Sokol Park, the Lidice Memorial Monument commemorates the Nazi annihilation of a small Czech town in 1942.
Many remaining survivors fled to Phillips, where they created the monument in 1944.
Trinity Pesko, this year’s Queen of the Miss Czech-Slovak US National Pageant, grew up in Phillips, surrounded by this culture.
Pesko’s Czech grandmother spent a lot of her time preserving the family traditions that meant so much to her.
“It was only after she passed, when I was in high school, that I realized that someone needed to start keeping these traditions alive in her absence, and I also just realized just how special it was and what a gift it is to have somebody in your family who cares so much about your culture. And then I didn't want to have that be lost for the future generations of my family, so I chose the year of 2023, to run for the Wisconsin queen, because that is when she would have turned 100 years old,” said Pesko.
Pesko’s grandmother volunteered with the annual Phillips Czech-Slovak Festival.
“I did this just to honor her memory and to make her proud and to show her, even though she's no longer here, that I care about the things that she cared about, and I wish I was able to show her that more when she was alive,” she said.
Before winning the national title, she was the Wisconsin Queen and traveled over 4,000 miles attending Czech and Slovak events.
“It's been a very busy past year for me, and it's going to continue being a very busy year upcoming, because I'll be doing the exact same thing, but rather than just around the state, I'll be traveling around the whole country attending different events,” said Pesko.
She explains that the Miss Czech-Slovak US pageant isn’t a beauty pageant.
“There's no swimsuit modeling. There's no judging on looks or anything of that nature. It's really about the young lady, their personality and their involvement in honoring and preserving their heritage,” she said.
Contestants are judged in four categories; there’s a private interview with judges, an onstage interview, kroje (a traditional Czech outfit) modeling, and talent presentation.
Winning the national competition is the culmination of years of practice and research for Pesko.
“It's a lot of research. It's a lot of practicing and just thinking on your feet,” said Pesko.
“I feel a lot closer to my family. I feel a lot closer to my ancestors, and I really have a better sense of personal identity from learning about my heritage and all of the things, both genetically and culturally, that make me unique,” said Pesko.
This year, she’ll travel all over the country attending events as the queen of Miss Czech-Slovak US.
