Photos by Jose Lozoya
Every year, the Florida Strawberry Festival needs a queen to reign over the 11-day festival. This year’s queen was crowned Sat., Jan 18 at the 2025 Floria Strawberry Festival Queen’s Scholarship Pageant.
Durant High School senior and contestant Gabriella Norah Hagman, daughter of Christopher and Jacqueline Hagman, was crowned the 2025 Florida Strawberry Festival Queen.
Hagman and her family moved from West Palm Beach to Plant City when she was in the third grade after her father, a tennis professional, accepted a job building tennis courts with Welch Tennis Courts. “He came here to follow his passions and dreams and my family was on board with that,” she said. “It’s been the biggest blessing growing up here. It’s clear to me this was part of God’s plan for me.”
Hagman was a Durant calendar girl for two years before stepping on the Queen’s Pageant stage. The first time’s a charm. When she heard her name called as queen, her poised and regal demeanor was ruffled as a range of emotions spread across her face. “It’s such an honor,” she said.
She drew inspiration to participate in the pageant from interacting with the queen and her court at past festivals. As this year’s queen, she hopes to inspire other young girls. “I want to do what those former court members did and meet every girl who wants to do this and encourage them,” she said. “It’s on this stage where women can make a difference.”
Why did you want to be the Florida Strawberry Festival Queen?
I wanted to showcase the value of hard work. I worked a minimum wage job at BubbaQue’s in Brandon since August to pay for my pageant expenses. I wanted to show girls that it doesn’t matter where you come from because you can still be successful wherever you begin your journey.
What advice would you give to other young women who might want to seek this role?
Just do it. Everyone is called to do things for a reason. I think if you have a desire to do something that God’s put on your heart then it’s there for a reason and you’re meant to be in that place at that time. Just being able to put yourself in the pageant is a goal. I would also say keep the mindset that it’s just a stepping stone for something bigger than yourself. If it doesn’t happen for you, you were still meant to be there and were meant to compete and there are bigger things waiting for you after that. Seriously, the stage is not the scary part. Just get on stage and do it because your community loves you and will be there to show their love and support. Abby has the best cheer team and they cheered for her so loudly. It’s in those moments that you see how big of an impact this pageant and festival has on the community. That’s what makes it so special. You can impact the community just by walking across the stage. You don’t have to be a Top 5 finalist.
What are you most looking forward to about your year as queen?
I am looking forward to making those one-on-one connections with members of the community. I think that’s what makes the festival so magical. It’s so personable to everyone that walks through the gates and being the face of the festival and seeing that direct impact I can have on people is going to be the most memorable part of this whole experience.
Who’s your role model and why?
I would say my pageant coach Katie Butson, who was the 2004 Florida Strawberry Festival Queen. She really invested in me and chose to believe in me when I felt like nobody else did. That’s a trait I gained from her but taking that further I also gained the confidence to know that I can perform the duties required by the queen. I really hope that one day I can be like her, and be able to believe in other people and help them find confidence to believe in themselves.
What is a core memory you have attending the Florida Strawberry Festival?
The Florida Strawberry Festival was one of the first events I attended when I moved here in third grade. I attended the festival with my family and some friends from the West Palm Beach area. It was a really good reflection of just how welcoming this community is because everyone, from all of the vendors to the queen and court and festival directors, were eager to welcome us and greet us and that really ignited the spark that lit the flame of desire to compete in this pageant. I realized this was such a beautiful community and I wanted to be able to reflect the gratitude I felt by now wearing the crown and being that welcome face for others.
What’s your favorite food at the Florida Strawberry Festival?
It’s absolutely Peachey’s donuts. If you haven’t had them yet, you need to try them. They’re so good. They make everything fresh. They sell donuts and pretzels. Seriously, I’m a bread girl so I’m already loving their stand but there’s nothing better than fresh fair food made with dough. I ate one that had coconut sprinkled on it and it was so delicious.
What do you hope to gain by being this year’s queen?
I just really hope to gain the welcoming sense of this community. Plant City is such a bright shining light in a world where people don’t always prioritize kindness and accepting people. The court radiates that kindness and acceptance. I want to continue the legacy that former queens and court members have established and set such a good stage for us to carry on. I really hope these values reflect in me and my year of service and long after the stage lights fade.
What makes Plant City so special?
I would go back to just the welcoming environment that radiates from Plant City. Not being from here and being able to move to a small town, was scary but Plant City is a community that inspires people to go out of their way to make people feel loved and accepted. There’s never been a single time in Plant City or the Florida Strawberry Festival where I’ve interacted with people who didn’t want me to stand in that room and that really empowered me to be the light for people to say ‘hey, you are welcome here and we are happy you are here.’
