Meet Brittany Bader, Alesandra McFadden As They Make St. Paddy's Debut

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — Brittany Bader and Alesandra McFadden are thrilled to make their debut at the Woodbridge St. Patrick's Day parade this Sunday, as Miss American Irish and Irish Lady in Waiting, respectively.

Bader is a graduate of Woodbridge High School. While at WHS, she was a senior class officer. She was also captain of the varsity soccer team and ran for the varsity track team. She was the recipient of the Greater Middlesex Conference Sportsmanship award for Woodbridge High School.

Currently, Bader is a sophomore at The College of New Jersey, where she is majoring in elementary education and art. At TCNJ, she is a member of Sigma Kappa sorority and holds the position of fundraising chair. Brittany serves through her sorority in support of their five philanthropies: the Sigma Kappa Foundation, Inherit the Earth, Gerontology, Maine Sea Coast Mission and the Alzheimers Association. She is also a member of Colleges Against Cancer, taking part in Relay for Life.

She plays intramural soccer and volleyball. Brittany has participated in community service at St. James Roman Catholic Church during their Thanksgiving food drive and with the Arm in Arm Foundation at The College of New Jersey. In addition, she has volunteered during park clean-ups in Colonia and Sewaren and has volunteered with the American Irish Association at past parades and at the veterans' home.

Brittany has participated in several St. Patrick’s Day parades throughout the years. She is proud of her American Irish heritage, and is so honored to be selected as Miss American Irish for this year’s parade.

She said she is "looking forward to celebrating her Irish heritage with her family, her parents John and Patti Bader, brothers Christian and Matthew Bader, as well as her aunts, uncles and cousins, especially Ken and Janine Gardner, who are members of the American Irish Association."

Alesandra is a freshman at Arthur L. Johnson High school in Clark. She is the Public Relations Officer of her class, running the social media accounts and setting up volunteer work. Alesandra is also Secretary of the Science Olympiad Team, where they build a functioning robot to compete in competitions. She is part of the Speech and Debate Team, the Student Movement Against Cancer, Key Club and Active Minds (changing the stigma about mental health).

Aly, as she is known by her nickname, also ran varsity cross country in the fall and is currently running track.

She is honored to be the 2023 Irish Lady in Waiting and cannot wait to celebrate with her parents, Jim and Nikki McFadden, her sister Gabriella and grandparents. Alesandra’s grandparents, Kathy and Jim McFadden are active members of the American Irish association and she is looking forward participate in the many activities the association has to offer.

The 2024 Woodbridge St. Patrick's Day parade will be from 1:30 - 4 p.m. March 10. It is a little known fact that St. Patrick's Day commemorates the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. It has become a celebration today of Irish culture and heritage, particularly as there are so many people of Irish ancestry in the United States.