Milan Alas was once a Make-A-Wish kid who got to fly to Paris with her family. These days, she is Miss Napa County, and she has spent her reign turning that childhood memory into a full-blown advocacy campaign, organizing bingo nights, talent shows and fundraisers across the county before her title ends on November 21, 2026.
Alas was crowned Miss Napa County in 2025, according to the Napa Valley Register, and went on to represent Napa County at the 2026 Miss California competition in Fresno. That statewide event returned this year to the Saroyan Theatre in downtown Fresno, a venue that hosted the competition for nearly three decades before a brief three-year stint in Visalia, according to the Miss California Organization. At the June 2026 finals, Alas won the Social Media Influence Award, and Sharlize True Trujillo of Los Angeles took the statewide crown before placing as third runner-up at Miss America in West Palm Beach that September, per the Miss California Organization.
A Wish Trip That Shaped Her Advocacy
Alas received a Make-A-Wish trip to Paris with her family as a child, an experience that now anchors her platform as Miss Napa County. She said she was excited to continue her Make-A-Wish advocacy in the role, and she has used Instagram and other online platforms to share information about the organization. She also participated in the 2026 Walk for Wishes in Los Gatos.
The nonprofit behind that trip, Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area, serves 17 Northern California counties stretching from Siskiyou to Monterey and surpassed its 10,000th total wish granted in August 2025, according to Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area. The chapter, established in 1984, grants around 350 wishes annually across the region it serves.
Bingo Nights and a Talent Show
Alas has organized several fundraising events across Napa County during her reign, including a Finko bingo night for local pageant titleholders in June 2026 at The Fink, a downtown Napa cocktail lounge. The venue, which opened in July 2023 at 530 Main Street inside the Historic Napa Mill, is in the historic Napa Mill building, first constructed in 1884, according to Inside Napa Valley. Owner Judd Finkelstein designed the space with an 1800s boathouse aesthetic that honors Napa's river-trade history, per the same outlet.
According to the City of Napa’s General Plan, the city established a framework for a comprehensive program to foster historic preservation. The City of Napa says its Napa RiverLine Strategic Plan was developed between July 2024 to August 2025 to guide future efforts to make the RiverLine a reality.
Finkelstein said Alas brings people together and that she loves the community and spotlights local activities. Alas also helped persuade Finkelstein to enter the statewide Mr. California competition and created a talent show for the Mr. California pageant gathering. Her civic appearances have taken her beyond the city of Napa itself; in December 2025, shortly after receiving her title, she attended the American Canyon holiday tree lighting and gift marketplace, an event that brought together local businesses and civic organizations, according to The American Canyon Current.
From Vintage High to a Girl Scout Gold Award
Alas graduated from Vintage High School two years early and went on to earn an associate degree in psychology from Napa Valley College. She later studied computer science and engineering at Santa Clara University and journalism and public relations at Pepperdine University, where she won awards for news writing and video editing. Pepperdine's journalism program integrates news writing, multimedia production and media ethics, according to the program review.
Alas also earned the Girl Scouts Gold Award, completing a project focused on pollution solutions with the Napa County Resource Conservation District. Her Gold Award was connected to that project. According to the Napa County Resource Conservation District, local conservation work includes reducing stormwater runoff and pollutants from agricultural vineyard land, with the district providing construction training and oversight to land manager and crews. A Napa County Resource Conservation District project document lists controlling urban and rural storm water runoff and related non-point source pollution as a goal.
Life After the Crown
Alas currently works full time as a web manager and is training for a marathon while applying to master's programs. She said pageant contestants are primarily competing with themselves, and she has said community service works best when people choose a cause that feels personally meaningful to them.
She does not expect to pursue another pageant crown after relinquishing the Miss Napa County title in November, per the Napa Valley Register. The Miss California Organization, which oversaw the competition where Alas represented Napa County, discusses educational scholarships. Alas was originally crowned Miss Napa County in November 2024 at the Empress Theatre in Vallejo, during a joint pageant held alongside the Miss Vallejo/Tri-City competition, according to the City of Vallejo.
