When Taylor McNally saw the Worcester Student Government Association’s email seeking applicants for Worcester’s first-ever Mr. Worcester pageant, he didn’t think too much of it.
“But then a bunch of my friends started texting me,” says McNally. “After thinking about it, I thought I had a good shot at it, and it was for a good cause.”
So when McNally’s poise, charisma, and singing talent landed him the title of Mr. Worcester in January, he was pleased with the win, excited about the fundraising efforts, and particularly happy to represent his school. “I wanted the trophy to come from WPI,” says McNally. “I wanted to take it home for my school.”
The contest, held at Coral Seafood restaurant on Shrewsbury Street, was a fundraiser for Working for Worcester, a nonprofit under the umbrella of Students Helping Children Across Borders that encourages city-wide collaboration of student, community, business, and government organizations. The seven contestants represented WPI, Clark, Becker, Assumption, Holy Cross, Anna Maria, and Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.
According to Christin Di Scipio, director of public relations at Working for Worcester, the event raised more than $4,000 for the organization. “This was really fun,” she says. “We wanted to get as many people from the community involved as we could.” She hopes this becomes an annual tradition.
Friends and family paid admission to cheer on the contestants in the various talent, formal wear, and interview portions of the evening. McNally ’14, a mechanical engineering major and the third in his family to attend WPI, says his mom and dad even came from Rhode Island to sit in the front row.
