Jordan Kenney is set to compete in the Miss Massachusetts Teen USA pageant in Plymouth this weekend.

Jordan Kenney, who graduated from Hopkinton High School this month, has been studying for a completely different type of test: competing in the Miss Massachusetts Teen USA pageant.

“Honestly, it’s a very fun experience,” said Kenney. “It requires a lot of hard work, but it’s still very enjoyable, which is important when you’re pursuing something.”

Kenney holds the title of Miss Hopkinton Teen USA. She earned the title after applying and going through a brief interview process.

“If there’s no other girls trying to compete for your title, you don’t have to do earlier competition,” Kenney explained. “It depends on demand.”

Now she is preparing for the Miss Massachusetts Teen pageant, which takes place this Friday through Sunday in Plymouth. 

The three-day event will crown a winner who will go on to compete in the Miss Teen USA pageant in Florida later this year. The winner of the pageant also will receive a cash prize, along with two photo shoots and perks from various pageant sponsors.

This will be Kenney’s first time competing in a pageant, though she noted it has been a long-time dream to enter. It wasn’t until receiving encouragement from a close family friend who runs Miss Connecticut that Kenney decided to give the pageant a try.

While she is a bit later to teen pageant competitions (Miss Massachusetts Teen is open to contestants as young as 14), Kenney said this was a “good time for me to explore something like this.” She noted that much of her preparation work has helped her learn skills and aspects of the real world she can use as she enters college at the University of New Hampshire and beyond.

The 18-year-old has been working since February on those skills, focusing heavily on interviewing and public speaking.

“The interview is 50% of your score,” Kenney noted. “It’s pretty significant to your total.”

The pageant judges are set to question competitors based on extensive questionnaires they filled out when applying for the competition. Kenney said she has spent a lot of time practicing her answers, getting more comfortable talking in front of people and feeling confident in answering questions she may not know are coming. 

On top of doing interview practice several days a week — which involves Kenney recording herself and watching the video to take notes and make improvements — she also works on her walk and meets with her coaches weekly.

“I have to practice walking because my heels are tall,” Kenney said. She noted that each contestant has a walking pattern they need to demonstrate throughout the competition. 

The walking practice will prove important for the other two parts of the pageant: evening gown and activewear. Throughout all three portions of the event, contestants will be judged on criteria including character, poise, confidence and personality, according to the Miss Massachusetts website.

Kenney, who is one of 25 competitors in the Miss Massachusetts Teen pageant this year, said earning a top spot in the competition would be nice, but she has found the work to get to this point as its own reward.

“Even necessarily if I don’t place in the top five or top 12, the process itself is very rewarding,” said Kenney. She described it as a learning experience that has taught her about setting goals and skills like public speaking.

She also noted that people’s choice voting is available now through Sunday at missmassachusettsusa.com/teen-contestants. For $1, an individual can cast a vote for their chosen contestant. The contestant with the most public votes automatically earns a spot in the top 12. As of June 9, Kenney had 498 votes.

Although Kenney is 18, she still will be eligible for the teen pageant again by next year’s application deadline, and she said she would be open to it.

“I see myself being more successful having the experience under my belt,” Kenney said.