Miss Fountain Valley pageant names titleholders for 2027
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Malia Walker, the new Miss Fountain Valley, is no stranger to the stage.
A music theater major at UC Irvine, Walker, a junior, tapped into that talent in taking the crown in Saturday’s pageant at the Sapphire Center.
Before a crowd of close to 400 people, Walker sang a showtune called “Show Off,” doing so somewhat ironically, as the number, from “The Drowsy Chaperone,” is about a showgirl who doesn’t want to be in the spotlight anymore.
Walker performed in the show her senior year at Coalinga High, and she intends to increase accessibility to theater for her community service initiative.
“I am currently working with some of my mentors that I’ve made through UC Irvine and their theater scene,” Walker said. “I’m working on a free digital resource that I’m going to be able to bring to absolutely everybody in the community, and it’s going to be a guide on how you can create theater in your community.
“It’s going to be about how you can do it if you have no budget. It explains all the different parts of what theater is — like what’s a stage manager, how do you apply for rights if you want to do a show?”
Walker added she would like to bring a lesson plan to area elementary schools to provide an introduction to theater.
Candidates for the Miss Fountain Valley pageant must live, work or attend school in Fountain Valley, Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach or Westminster, or they may be full-time students at a handful of regional colleges: UC Irvine, Cal State University, Long Beach, Concordia University, Vanguard University, Coastline Community College, Golden West College and Orange Coast College.
Gracia Mercado, a junior at Huntington Beach High, won the Miss Fountain Valley Teen title, showcasing her baton twirling skills along the way.
Walker was blown away, noting she was “trying to sneak a peek backstage” during the talent portion of the pageant.
“She did some super cool things, not only with the throwing and catching,” Walker said of Mercado. “She did not drop one once. Even in our rehearsals, never at all did I see her drop the baton … She twirled it around her neck, around her elbows, and then also had dance moves in there, as well. She was hitting the splits, and these super-high kicks in between, so she really put herself out there.”
The newly-crowned duo made their first public appearance at a Veterans Day event on Wednesday. Mercado gained momentum right away for her community service initiative, “Signed, Sealed and Saluted,” with the aim of collecting letters to send to members of the military.
“It was very exciting,” Mercado said. “I had my booth there, where I had letter-writing stations, and I collected over 50 letters. A woman who teaches high school students said that she would be able to collect over 500 letters for me and donate them to my cause. …
“As it was my first appearance as Miss Fountain Valley Teen, it was very cool to see how many letters I could get, and how many people agreed with my cause … We had so many veterans and family [members] of veterans come up to me and talk about how cool my cause was and how meaningful it was to them.”
Mercado noted that her brother, Robert, is the inspiration for her initiative. He graduated from the U.S. Marine Corps boot camp the day prior to the pageant, attended the event the next day. It was there that he learned his sister intended to honor him.
The Miss Fountain Valley Scholarship Foundation is affiliated with the Miss America program. Both titleholders will compete at Miss California in June.
Thirteen contestants participated in the pageant, which included interviews, on-stage questions, and a health and fitness component. The competition saw more than $13,000 in scholarships awarded.
Walker, who previously held titles as Miss Central Valley Teen in 2024 and Miss Canyon Hills in 2026, received a $5,000 scholarship, as well as a diamond pendant from Mimi’s Jewelry valued at $3,000.
Mercado was awarded a $750 scholarship. She also received a silver necklace valued at $1,000.
