BRICK – Sometimes dreams do come true. It may take years and hard work, but it can happen.
That’s what Brick pageant participant Lauren Zycband found out when she won the 2026 National American Miss New Jersey award.
Zycband, who has participated in pageants since age nine, won the award on August 16. The event itself was held at the Hyatt Regency in New Brunswick.
According to a press release, the National American Miss is committed to helping participants become the best version of themselves through a program that is age-appropriate, inclusive, and family-oriented. Pageants are held in each state for girls and women ages 4 to 39, across seven age divisions.
Zycband told The Brick Times what it means to win the title. “I’ve been doing pageants since I was 9 years old, and this is my first time actually winning the National American Miss New Jersey title…13 years later, finally achieving my dream. Through pageantry, I’ve also learned to never give up,” she said.
The three topics covered during the competition were: evening gown, personal introduction, and interview section, she said.
The pageant isn’t about putting on a dress and wearing a crown. She said she learned life skills and grew confidence. She also said one fear girls face in America today is public speaking, and through the National American Miss competition, participants get to go on stage and talk about themselves in front of a live audience. It helps build confidence.
When it came time to crown a new winner, Zycband said she had done the best she could. She had always been a runner-up in years past, but this year was different. “I was ready for them to say, ‘first runner-up Lauren,’ but once they called someone else’s name for that, and I was still standing there, it didn’t feel real. It doesn’t even feel real now…even days later I still cry about it.”
Speaking in front of a group helped Zycband build connections during college and her career. She credited the pageants with her public speaking skills, saying they prepared her for the next stages of life.
Zycband’s resume includes graduating from Brick Township Memorial High School in 2022. According to a press release, she graduated from High Point University in High Point, North Carolina, magna cum laude, with a BA in Media Production. She currently works as a camera operator for the Banana Ball Broadcast team. She started working at BlueClaws stadium before joining the Banana Ball team.
Working for the now-popular Banana Ball team has been another dream come true for Lauren Zycband. She said they fly her out to wherever the team is playing, cover all expenses, and she gets paid to do it. It’s a great job, said Zycband, who loves to travel.
Her love of drone cinematography helped boost her passion for operating a camera. During her senior year of high school, Zycband took a TV production class and loved it. While filming, she said she would finish her classes early just to get back into the studio. That’s where she started operating a drone camera.
She is now drone-certified and has her own drone, which she said is always on her hip. “I love flying the drone up…I brought it to Australia during a global experience last summer and made this awesome recap video of my trip. It’s probably, by far, one of my favorite things I have created. You never know what you can see from above; it’s a totally different perspective.”
Zycband has some advice for girls following in her footsteps, those who want to aspire to achieve what she has achieved. “I would tell them to straight up go for it,” she said. “Try to do something out of your comfort zone. I was a shy little sporty kid. All I did was play soccer. One of my mom’s friends’ daughters did pageants, and she told me to join an open call. And I ended up being one of the state finalists at the open call. Ever since then, it’s been a routine. Every summer, this is something I look forward to. It’s become a part of my life. It’s been a tradition, and I’m so grateful to have done this.”
Many local businesses have sponsored Zycband on her journey. The list includes: the Shore House, J’s Garden Spot, Van Holten Chocolates, Tony’s Pizza, Federicos Pizza, the Wine Shoppe, Blaine’s Jewelry Box, Smalley Automotive, Route 88 Automotive, Lo’s Garden, Jersey Mike’s Rt. 88, Visiontech, and Good as Gold Jewelers, to name a few. Some of these businesses have sponsored her for the last 13 years.
She is also active on her platform called Lauren’s Lunches. She has been creating bagged lunches for people experiencing homelessness. With help from her friends and family, Zycband has been making bagged lunches since 2021. Market Street Mission in Asbury Park is one of the recipients of her efforts.
Zycband has a busy few years coming up. She has big plans for her career. “My end goal or dream job is to work in a TV studio, either directing news or being on set directing or cinematography for movies or TV,” she said.
In addition to winning the New Jersey title, Zycband is now invited to compete for a larger audience. She has been invited to compete at the National Pageant, held during Thanksgiving Week in Orlando, Florida. There, she will be at the Hyatt Regency Orlando, competing against other state winners, hoping to win a national title. The event will be held from November 22 through 29.
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