Miss Puerto Rico Universe 2009 Mayra Matos

Miss Puerto Rico Universe 2009 Mayra Matos.

She will represent Puerto Rico at the Miss Universe 2009 pageant next year.

Mexican Beauty Queen Busted

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A Mexican beauty queen and international pageant winner has been detained by police along with suspected drug traffickers who had assault rifles and cash.Laura Zuniga, the 23-year-old Miss Sinaloa from the marijuana-producing Mexican state, was held with seven men at a military checkpoint in Guadalajara, police said on Tuesday."She is the beauty queen of Sinaloa and was aboard an SUV with the weapons and several of the men," said a police spokesman from western Jalisco state, home to Guadalajara.The spokesman said police and soldiers at the checkpoint on the outskirts of Mexico's second-biggest city were tipped off that traffickers were moving through the area Monday night."No one expected this young woman to be aboard, along with more than a dozen cell phones, lots of cash, pistols, bullets and two rifles," the spokesman said.Zuniga won the Miss Sinaloa title in July and was to compete in the Miss International 2009 pageant next year in Asia. She was named "Queen of Hispanic America 2008" in a contest in Bolivia.The model is the latest well-known figure to be linked to drug traffickers this year in Mexico, where President Felipe Calderon is battling powerful cartels with soldiers and federal police.Top anti-drug security chiefs have been accused of passing vital intelligence to kingpins and police arrested seven soccer players and club directors at second division Mapaches de Nueva Italia in October. Prosecutors suspect the team is being financed by a drug gang for money laundering purposes.

Miss France Chloé Mortaud

Miss France Chloé Mortaud

Miss Russia Crowned Miss World 2008

Russia's Kseniya Sukhinova won the Miss World 2008 crown on Saturday in a glittering African-themed pageant where she outshone 108 other international beauties and pledged to "help people."
"And Miss World 2008 is Russia," announced Julia Morley, head of the Miss World committee that organises the event.
The second runner up was Gabrielle Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago and the first runner up Parvathay Omanakuttan of India.
The 21-year-old blue-eyed blonde beauty, who declared shortly before her win was announced that being nervous made her "feel stronger," takes over from Zhang Zi Lin of China to become the 58th Miss World.
"I think I can help people and I want to help people and today if I walk away with this crown I will do that," Sukhinova told judges through a translator after being asked why she should be crowned the winner.
Hailing from Nizhnevartovsk in the north west of Siberia, Sukhinova was dressed in a purple gown, with a decorative neckline and flowing skirt.
She is a student pursuing an engineering degree from the Tyumen Oil and Gas University.
Sukhinova becomes the second Miss Russia to win the global event after Julia Kourochkina took the crown in 1992.
India's Omanakuttan wooed the crowd by greeting them in the Afrikaans language, spoken by many in South Africa. She also referred to heroes such as Mahatma Ghandi and South Africa's first black president Nelson Mandela, who was quoted by Trinidad and Tobago's Walcott as well.
Contestants, aged 17 to 25, were dressed by South African and Jamaican designers for the final show after a month of galas, rehearsals and even a safari on the tip of the African continent.
Trading glamour for the bush, the beauties donned T-shirts and sneakers as they gamely tramped into the bush to see lions and giraffes, play African drums, sleep in huts and cook traditional Zulu meals.
Johannesburg sought to use the event to boost its image as a world class city, despite being known for its high crime rates, while the country also hopes to benefit from the publicity ahead of staging the football World Cup in 2010.

"I think we have been able to showcase the best of what our country has to offer," said judge Lindiwe Mahlangu, the chief executive of Johannesburg tourism.
Beauties from 109 countries were whittled down to 15 semi-finalists with India, Russia, Trinidad and Tobago, Angola and South Africa among the five finalists.
South Africa's Tansey Coetzee had her home crowd on their feet shouting support as her name as a finalist was announced.
The winner of the event, broadcast live to millions of viewers in 187 countries, has to espouse "beauty with a purpose" with charity being one of the main focuses of the pageant.
"Over the years the crown that is worn by the winner is a symbol for fundraising. Miss World herself, this year, the winner from China, she's raised over 30 million dollars in her year in office," Morley said.
"So perhaps from anything else it does a lot of good things for needy children and old people, which I think is important too."
The 51-year-old competition was originally scheduled for October 4 in Kiev, but was delayed in September over security concerns due to the conflict between neighbours Russia and Georgia.

Miss World 2008

Miss Brazil Tamara Alameida Silva

"My name is Tamara Almeida Silva. I grew up in Ipatinga in the state of Minas Gerais, although the area has one of the largest steel complexes in Brazil its main park has over 12,000 trees, making it very green. I commenced my studies in Law at the age of just 17, and am now in my 5th year, my ambition is to become a Judge. Sports and leisure interests are: diving; swimming; cycling; boxing; yoga; martial arts; volleyball; boating (I am addicted to sports); classical ballet and jazz (6 years); flamenco dance; travel; music; reading; going to the theatre and the movies; and I have learnt a little Chinese. Favourite food is Japanese. "

Miss South Africa Tansey Coetzee

Tansey grew up in Johannesburg, she is currently in the process of completing a B.A. in Corporate Communications, her ambition is to start her own fashion label and to run an Events Company. She has worked as a Sales Executive for an I.T. company, and is also interested in all forms of dance from: ballet, hip hop, jazz, tap, modern, to Spanish dance. Sporting and leisure interests are: cooking; spending time outdoors; acting; singing; listening to music; reading. Favourite foods are: prawns, calamari, pasta & curries. Tansey`s motto is: `The greatest losses of all, are those from missed opportunities`.

Miss Ukraine Iryna Zhuravska

Iryna grew up in Kiev and is proud of her country`s rich history. She was the first runner-up in the city competition in Ukrainian grammar and composition, and is now studying history, psychology, arts and literature; she also works as a weather forecast reporter. Sports and leisure interests are: tennis; travelling; painting; piano; modern dancing (she has danced professionally); photography; poetry; listening to pop and lounge music; and reading the Russian classics. Favourite food is: cabbage soup, grilled salmon and of course, chocolate! Her motto is `Step back from evil and create blessings`.

Miss Mexico Espinoza Marroquin Anagabriela

Espinoza grew up in Monterrey, a modern city surrounded by mountains which gives this active city tranquillity. Every state in Mexico has a different climate, gastronomy, nature, architecture, and is rich in culture. She has just started her studies for a degree in International Tourism, on completion she would like to work in either government or a private organisation helping to increase Mexico`s tourism. Her proudest moment was receiving a special award for the best average over 3 years of school, part of this award was a scholarship for her college degree. Hobbies/sports interests are: ballet, jazz, flamenco dance; listening to music; reading human achievement books; going to the movies; leaning new languages; being with family & friends. Favourite foods are: Mexican `Chilaquiles`, salads, pizza, rice, and pancakes. Personal motto is `Go for what you want, always enjoy the journey and love every step you take`.

Miss Spain Patricia Yurena Rodriguez Alonjo

Patricia grew up on the small island of Tenerife, in the Canaries. She is presently living in the capital, Madrid, a city full of history and beautiful buildings, where she is combining her studies with modelling, and fulfilling her role as Miss Spain. Her ambition is to combine her modelling with a business career in the fashion world. Sporting and leisure interests are: volleyball; reading; travelling; listening to music; playing the guitar; and dancing (although she has never taken any classes). Favourite food is pasta, but she also has a sweet tooth and loves ice creams! Her motto is `All that you work for today, will be for your good tomorrow`

Miss Russia Kseniya Sukhinova
Kseniya lives with her parents in the Tyumen region, which is situated in the north west of Siberia. She is currently studying for a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineer of Administration, her ambition is also to become a Supermodel. Her leisure and sporting interests are: swimming; mountain skiing; roller skating; badminton; gym; rhythm gymnastics; pop & dance music; reading Russian classic literature; favourite food is: Japanese and Italian. Kseniya`s personal motto is: `Respect people around you, and people will respect you`.


The Miss World 2008 pageant will be held December 13th in Johannesburg, South Africa.

These are a few of the contestants that are believed to be favorites for the title.

Famous Former Beauty Queens

Vera Miles
She won the 1948 Miss America swimsuit competition, but placed only third to a marimba-playing Minnesota farm girl (BeBe Shopp), who won the crown. Still, Miles went on to enjoy a successful acting career, appearing on Marcus Welby and Kojak, and in the Alfred Hitchcock films, Psycho (1960) and The Wrong Man (1957) with Henry Fonda.
Loni Anderson
Before the busty blond dazzled fans on WKRP Cincinnati and married Bert Reynolds, Loni was a busty brunette Miss Roseville in the Miss Minnesota Pageant.
Phyllis George
Phyllis, who won the 1971 Miss America title as Miss Texas, was the only winner to drop her crown on live television. She went on to become the first successful female sports anchor (NFL Today) and starred on Candid Camera, People, and CBS's The Morning News. She later served as First Lady of Kentucky with (now ex-) husband, John Y. Brown.
Ali McGraw
McGraw, who achieved overnight fame playing the dying lover in the film, Love Story, was a contestant in a "prettiest waitress" pageant in 1957.
Mary Hart
Famed for her insured legs and perennial perkiness, the anchor of Entertainment Tonight competed as Mary Johanna Harum, Miss South Dakota, in the 1970 Miss America Pageant. She made the top ten, but lost to Phyllis George. Hart later co-hosted PM Magazine and co-hosted with Regis Philbin before moving on to E.T. fame.
Bobbie Eakes
Eakes, who competed as Miss Georgia in the 1982 Miss America Pageant, won the role of Macy on The Bold and the Beautiful.

Delta Burke
One of the best known "losers" at the Miss America Pageant, Delta competed as Miss Florida in the 1974 contest. She failed to make the top ten after performing her British dramatic recital about soon-to-be-executed Queen Anne Boleyn, with a Southern accent. Later, she trademarked the role of former beauty queen as Suzanne Sugarbaker on the hit series, Designing Women, and starred in Filthy Rich and Love and Curses and All That Jazz. Delta's other pageant titles included Miss Florida Flame, Miss Veteran's Day, Miss Orlando Action Princess, and Miss All-American Girl.
Kathie Lee Gifford
Before rising to TV fame as star of Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, Gifford represented Maryland in the America's Junior Miss Pageant. She was quietly disqualified when she inadvertently broke the rules by chatting with a man in public. Reeeeege?!
Cloris Leachman
The renowned actress competed as Miss Chicago in the 1946 Miss America Pageant where she was named a semifinalist. Although she failed to win that national title, she later won four Emmy awards and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film, The Last Picture Show. Leachman's dozens of credits include The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Texasville, Kiss Me Deadly, and Danielle Steel's Fine Things.
Tiffani-Amber Thiessen
Thiessen parlayed her titles, Miss Junior America and winner of the 'Teen Magazine Model Search, into a successful television career. The actresses roles include Saved by the Bell and Valerie Malone on Beverly Hills 90210 (She replaced Shannen Doherty).
Paula Zahn
After competing in numerous pageants and making the finals of the 1973 Miss Teenage America Pageant, Zahn entered television journalism, wracking up credits on The Health Show, ABC's World News This Morning, and CBS This Morning with Harry Smith.
Raquel Welch
Once considered one of the world's sexiest women, movie queen Raquel Welch only placed second in the Miss Southern California Pageant. Her film credits include the memorable role of prehistoric babe in One Million B.C.
Imelda Marcos
Before reigning as First Lady of the Philippines by the side of Ferdinand Marcos, Imelda Romualdez reigned as Miss Manilla 1953.


Susan Anton
Anton nearly won the Miss America title at age 18, when she competed as Miss California. After winning the talent competition singing Happy Days Are Here Again, she placed as second runner-up. Anton then contracted as the Muriel Cigar Girl, and eventually starred in Mel & Susan Together, Presenting Susan Anton, Cliffhangers, Baywatch, and in the movies Spring Fever, Cannonball Run II, and Goldengirl with James Coburn.
Mary Frann
The late Frann, who starred as Joanna Loudon on the hit sitcom, Newhart, won the 1961 America's Junior Miss title.
Marla Maples
Before becoming the second Mrs. Donald Trump, Marla was named Miss Photogenic and placed fourth in Georgia's Miss Teen Pageant.
Deborah Norville
Norville, the Inside Edition anchor who was embroiled in controversy when she replaced Jane Pauley on Today, was Georgia's Junior Miss in the 1976 America's Junior Miss Pageant.
Michelle Yeoh
Americans know her as Pierce Brosnan's sidekick, Chinese secret agent Wai Lin, in the James Bond flick, Tomorrow Never Dies. But the former Miss Malaysia (1983) is known throughout Asia as a kung-fu queen who has starred in nine movies including the mega-hit, Police Story III: Supercop. And, yes, she performs her own dangerous stunts.
Lindsay Bloom
Bloom, the 4th runner-up at Miss International, achieved fame playing sexy blonds on TV sitcoms: Daisy on The Dukes of Hazards, Ray Krebb's girlfriend on Dallas, and Vega$. Later, she dyed her trademark blond tresses brunette to play Stacy Keach's sidekick, Velda, on Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer.
Jayne Kennedy
The former NFL Today co-host broke racial barriers when she competed as Miss Ohio in the 1970 Miss USA Pageant.
Nancy Stafford
After winning the Miss Florida title in 1976, Stafford won roles on The Doctors and St. Elsewhere, and as Andy Griffith's junior law partner, Michelle Thomas, on the series, Matlock.
Anita Bryant
Miss Oklahoma 1959 and second runner-up to Miss America 1959 (Mary Ann Mobley), Anita achieved fame as the quintessential patriotic performer and spokesperson for the Florida orange juice industry. She later became embroiled in scandal after taking a public stand against gay rights.
Mary Ann Mobley
Mobley, Miss Mississippi 1958, won the 1959 Miss America title after she switched from a prim aria to a mock strip tease in the talent competition. She later appeared in two Elvis Presley movies, and co-hosted the Miss America Pageant with husband Gary Collins.

Oprah Winfrey

Before becoming an Emmy Award-winning television talk show host, Oprah Winfrey won the 1971 Miss Fire Prevention and Miss Black Tennessee titles. When asked what she would do with a million dollars, Winfrey delighted the judges when she blurted out, "I'd be a spending fool!" She competed in the Miss Black America Pageant, but failed to make the finals.

Jeri Ryan
Sexy Jeri Ryan, who starred as the sexy Borg character, "Seven of Nine," in Star Trek: Voyager, competed as Miss Illinois in the 1990 Miss America Pageant. There, resembling the 'Toon character, Jessica Rabbit, she won the swimsuit competition and placed as 4th runner-up.
Halle Berry
Berry, whose pageant titles include Miss Teen All American, Miss Ohio-USA, and first runner-up to Miss USA, won the coveted role of Queen in the Alex Hailey mini-series,Queen, on the TV series Knots Landing and Living Dolls, and starred in the movies Jungle Fever and The Flintstones. She made history as the first African-American woman to win the Academy Award for Best Actress.
Diane Sawyer
Chosen as America's Junior Miss in 1962, Diane used her pageant scholarship money to attend Wellesley College, worked as a weathergirl, then press aide to Richard Nixon during his presidency and after his Watergate resignation. In 1981 she was named co-anchor of the CBS Morning News. Initially dismissed by some critics as an unqualified beauty queen, Sawyer earned high marks and was hired as a Sixty Minutes correspondent, co-anchor of Day One, Turning Point, and, finally, ABC's PrimeTime Live. Sawyer ranks as one of the highest paid newswomen in television history.
Sharon Stone
Screen queen Sharon Stone, of Basic Instinct fame, honed her instincts for performing in small town pageants where she won the titles Saegertown's Spring Festival Queen and 1976 Miss Crawford County. When a Miss Pennsylvania Pageant judge suggested she try modeling, she contracted with the Eileen Ford Agency and her career was launched. Stone eventually switched to acting, starring in Basic Instinct, Sliver, and Intersection, and rapidly becoming one of the highest paid actresses in film history.

Miss Luxembourg 2009

20 year-old Diana Nilles (center) of Walferdingen was crowned Miss Luxembourg 2009 on December 2, 2008. The 1st runner-up was Sihem Tabi (R) and The 2nd runner-up was Sabrine Meyer (L)
Diana is studying English Literature and Drama Studies at the Royal Holloway University in London. She will represent Luxembourg in the Miss World 2009 and Miss Universe 2009 contests.

Mario Lopez Returns As Host Of Miss America 2009

Mario Lopez receives a visit from reigning Miss America Kirsten Haglund on the set of EXTRA Monday night.
Kirsten dropped by as Mario revealed that he has been named host of the 2009 Miss America Pageant, which will take place on January 24 in Las Vegas and air on TLC.
Says the 34-year-old former Saved By The Bell star: “I’m thrilled to return as host of Miss America Pageant on TLC and look forward to joining the contestants this January in Las Vegas,”

Miss USA 1972

Miss USA 1972 was held at Cerromar Beach Hotel in Dorado, (Puerto Rico), on May 20, 1972. Tanya Wilson of Hawaii was crowned by outgoing titleholder Michele McDonald of Pennsylvania.

The results were :

Miss USA 1972: Tanya Wilson (Miss Hawaii)
1st runner-up: Alberta Philips(Miss New York)
2nd runner-up: Kim Christina Hobson (Miss California)
3rd runner-up: Coni Ensor(Miss Florida)
4th runner-up: Kathleen Ann Kehlmier(Miss Ohio)

Miss Venezuela 2008 Evening Gowns

Miss Aragua

Miss Anzoátegui

Miss Amazonas

I have always been a fan of the Miss Venezuela pageant. The evening gown competition is awesome.

Miss France 2009

PARIS—The new Miss France, born to an African-American mother and white French father, said Sunday she wants to advertise her country's diversity on the world stage.
Chloe Mortaud is not the first nonwhite winner of the beauty pageant, but she is joining a growing chorus of French public figures breaking traditions by speaking openly about race.
"I want to go to people and explain to them that fear of the other is unfounded," she told The Associated Press the day after being crowned. "I want to incarnate ... today's French diversity" at international beauty pageants.
France has championed a colorblind standard that sees all citizens as just French, regardless of ethnic origins—an ideal meant to make everyone feel equal. But it has failed to snuff out racism, particularly against immigrants from former French colonies in Africa. Discrimination in part fed riots in 2005 by largely minority youth in French housing projects.
Days after Barack Obama's election last month, leading French figures published a manifesto urging affirmative action-like policies to expand opportunities for millions of blacks, Arabs and other minorities. First lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy said she hoped the "Obama effect" would reshape France's political and social elite.
Mortaud, a dual French-American citizen, said her mother was born in Mississippi but grew up in California, and her father's heritage is ethnic French "as far back as we could trace the family

Miss America Contestants - Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas

Miss Alabama Amanda Tapley

Birmingham, Alabama
Age: 20
Education:Briar Wood High School Samford University
Platform Issue: Music For A Cure:Research for Pediatric Illnesses
Scholastic Ambition: To obtain a degree in medicine
Talent: Piano
Scholastic Honors: 2008 Winner - Concerto - Aria Competition; Beeson Exceptional Scholar; School of Performing Arts Outstanding Freshman Music Major
Career Ambition: To pursue a career as a Pediatric Oncologist
Local Competition Sponsor: Miss Samford University

Miss Alaska Stephany Jeffers

Anchorage, Alaska
Age: 23
Education:Grace Christian High School Whitworth College
Platform Issue: Yes, I Can: Improv to Improve
Scholastic Ambition: To obtain a Doctorate degree in Botany
Talent: Vocal
Scholastic Honors: Magna Cum Laude Graduate; Five-year MAO Academic Award Winner; High School Valedictorian
Career Ambition: To become a botanical researcher
Local Competition Sponsor: Miss Birchwood Pageant

Miss Arizona Erin Brittany Nurss

Sierra Vista, Arizona
Age: 23
Education:Buena High School University of Arizona University of Arizona College of Public Health
Platform Issue: Healthy Habits: Promoting Health and Wellness in Youth
Scholastic Ambition: To obtain a Master's Degree in Public Health
Talent: Lyrical Dance
Scholastic Honors: Cum Laude Graduate; Outstanding Senior for UA Nutrition Department; Southern Arizona Dietetic Association Outstanding Graduate
Career Ambition: To work as a Public Health Nutritionist
Local Competition Sponsor: Miss Tucson Valley

Miss Arkansas Ashlen Batson

Newark, Arkansas
Age: 21
Education: Newark High School University of Central Arkansas
Platform Issue: Afterschool Alliance: Encouraging Youth Involvement in Extracurricular Activities
Scholastic Ambition: To obtain a Doctorate degree in Speech Pathology
Talent: Flute
Scholastic Honors: Martha Anderson Scholarship; Honors College; Presidential Scholars List
Career Ambition: To become a Speech Pathologist
Local Competition Sponsor: Miss Spirit of Arkan

Miss America 1984 Crowning

Vanessa Williams would become the first African American to be crowned Miss America when she was crowned Miss America 1984 on September 17, 1983. When nude photos of her surfaced and were published by Penthouse magazine, she resigned under pressure on July 23, 1984.

1st Runner-Up Miss New Jersey Suzette Charles would take over the title. She became the second African-American Miss America.

Although she resigned from fulfilling the duties of a current Miss America, she was allowed to keep the bejeweled crown and scholarship money and is officially recognized by the Miss America Organization today as "Miss America 1984" and Suzette Charles as "Miss America 1984b."

Pageant Trivia : Dethroned, Disqualified, Resigned, or Replaced

Miss America 1980 Vanessa Williams

1953 - Armi Kuusela, Miss Universe 1952, gives up her title to get married shortly before completing her reign. No formal replacement is made.

1954 - Ellen Whitehead, 1st Runner-Up to Miss USA 1954, is disqualified after it is revealed that she is only 16.

1957 - Mary Leona Gage, Miss USA 1957, is dethroned after it is revealed that she is married and a mother of two. Charlotte Sheffield, 1st Runner-Up to Miss USA 1957, is crowned Miss USA 1957.

1967 - After Miss USA 1967 wins Miss Universe 1967, Susan Ellen Bradley, 1st Runner-Up to Miss USA 1967, refuses the Miss USA title. Cheryl Ann Patton, 2nd Runner-Up to Miss USA 1967, is crowned Miss USA 1967. This marks the first time that a runner-up is formally crowned Miss USA after the original Miss USA wins Miss Universe. Prior to 1967, when Miss USA won Miss Universe, no formal replacement was made.

Miss World 1980 Gabriela Brum

1973 - Marjorie Wallace, Miss World 1973, is forced to resign because of her high-profile serial dating.

1974 - Amparo Munoz, Miss Universe 1974, is dethroned for her violent temper and behavior. No formal replacement is made.

Miss World 1974 Helen Morgan

1974 - Helen Morgan, Miss World 1974, resigns after it is revealed that she is an unwed mother.

1980 - Miss USA 1980 contestants are offered an all-expense paid trip to Korea to watch Miss Universe 1980. Shawn Weatherly, Miss USA 1980, wins Miss Universe 1980. Jineane Ford, 1st Runner-Up to Miss USA 1980, is crowned Miss USA 1980. This marks the first and only woman to have been crowned Miss USA on foreign soil and the second to be crowned Miss USA outside of the continental United States.

Miss World 1973 Marjorie Wallace

1980 - Gabriela Brum, Miss World 1980, resigns claiming her boyfriend disapproved. It is later revealed that she had posed nude for a magazine.

1984 - Vanessa Williams, Miss America 1984, is dethroned after nude photos of her taken before the pageant surface. Suzette Charles, 1st Runner-Up to Miss America 1984, is crowned Miss America 1984.

1985 - Andrea Stelzer from South Africa withdraws from Miss Universe 1985 because of anti-apartheid demonstrations. Stelzer later competes at Miss Universe 1989 representing Germany where she is a semi-finalist.

Miss Universe 1952 Armi Kuusela

1999 - Trisha Heflin from Guam is disqualified from Miss Universe 1999 after it is revealed that she is pregnant.

2002 - Oxana Federova, Miss Universe 2002, is dethroned after failing to fulfill the duties stipulated in her contract. Federova maintains that she resigned. Justine Pasek, 1st Runner-Up to Miss Universe 2002, is crowned Miss Universe 2002.

2002 - Dzejla Glavovic, Miss Earth 2002, is dethroned for failing to fulfill the duties stipulated in her contract. Winnie Adah Omwakwe, 1st Runner-Up to Miss Earth 2002, is crowned Miss Earth 2002.

Miss Universe 1952

Miss Universe 1952 Contestants

Miss Colombia 2008-09 Crowning

Miss Texas USA 2009 Crowning

Miss Massachusetts USA 2009

Weymouth woman crowned Miss Massachusetts USA

By Ed Baker
Mon Dec 01, 2008, 04:20 PM EST Weymouth -

Alison Cronin had no desire to compete in a beauty pageant while she was growing up in Weymouth.“I did not wear dresses until I was in fifth grade,” said Alison, 21, who became Miss Massachusetts USA during a recent pageant in Boston. “If you asked me back then about wanting to be in a beauty pageant, I was would have said, gross! I did not own a Barbie doll, and I liked rolling around in the dirt and climbing trees.”Alison’s desire to compete in a beauty contest developed while she was in middle school. “When I was in middle school, I would plan to watch TV the night the Miss USA pageant was on,” she said. “I would try to guess who would be the top 10 finalists. I never thought I’d be competing in it.”Alison’s interest in the pageant encouraged her to compete and win the Miss Teen Massachusetts USA crown in 2005, the year she graduated from Weymouth High School. “I had a lot of fun while competing in that program,” she said.Since then Alison has been busy completing her studies as a communications major at New York University“I’m finishing my courses a semester early,” she said. “That is exciting.”Alison plans to spend the next several months preparing for the upcoming Miss USA pageant in Las Vegas on April 19, 2009.“The contest will be held two days before my 22 birthday,” she said. “I have a lot of things to do in preparation.”Some of the tasks Alison must complete include selecting a wardrobe and keeping herself physically fit.“I’ll have to select an evening gown and follow a workout regimen,” she said. “I have to work with an interview coach as well. There are a lot of things you have to do prepare for the contest.”Alison had to complete a preliminary competition and swimsuit competition to qualify as a finalist for Miss Massachusetts USA.“There was a preliminary competition that involved wearing an evening gown,” she said. “The next day there was a swimsuit competition.”The judges at both venues collectively reduced the amount of contestants to five finalists that included Alison, all of whom completed onstage interviews.“It was a good showcase to tell people who you are, and what you stand for,” Alison said. “I met a lot of really great girls from around the state that have all accomplished so much and are quite educated. The event is a beauty pageant, but it is not all about beauty. The pageant showcases confident women who are competing for the same crown.”Alison said she sought the Miss Massachusetts USA title to help support charities throughout the state.“I’m excited,” she said. “Getting the title is a good opportunity to serve Massachusetts by working with a lot of charities.”Helping people in need seems to be natural for AlisonShe realized the importance of putting the needs of others first from her mother Michele, a widow, and nursing home administrator at Vernon Hall in Cambridge.“She used to have us come to the nursing home to visit the residents who did not get a lot of visitors,” Alison said. “Her example of helping people in need has been reinforced to us.”Michele’s example is especially compelling for Alison because her father died when she was 13.“My mother raised my brother Don and I on her own,” she said. “Don is an emergency room nurse at a hospital in New York City and he has done quite well for himself. I consider Don one of my role models.”Alison said people in need have hopes and goals that are common to all humanity and this reality was especially evident when she visited Ghana, a West Africa nation, with some of her New York University classmates last year.“We were involved in community service and research while over there,” Alison said. “I got to talk with a lot of people. The project I did was to learn how the people in Ghana define themselves in the context of the world, and the African continent. It was a very big eye-opening trip.”She visited a Ghanaian orphanage and realized the youngsters share the same dreams of succeeding like young people in the U.S. have.“The kids in the orphanage have huge dreams and goals,” Alison said. “I realized that I had the tools to reach them. They really inspired me.”Alison said she hopes to inspire people to succeed and help those in need by winning the Miss USA crown in April.“I’m glad I can be a positive role model for girls in Weymouth, and the South Shore, and in Massachusetts,” she said.Article and picture courtesy of Wicked Local Weymouth

Miss South Carolina Teen USA 2009

Left to Right 4th RU Margaret-Ann Carter, 2nd RU Courtney Turner 3rd RU Hillary Bradshaw, 1st RU Tyler Smith, and Mary Helen Caver, Miss SCTUSA 2009

Happy Holidays!

Miss USA 2008 Crystle Stewart, Miss Universe 2008 Dayana Mendoza & Miss Teen USA Stevi Perry