» Miss Florida USA Comes Home to Panama City!

by Jeremy Pate

Picture Credit - Leading Lady Magazine

Winning a title like Miss Florida USA is no small accomplishment. With it come great expectations, something Cristin Duren knows will mean a lot of traveling and a lot of new experiences. "It's not just a crown and a banner and you go home and you wait till the next year to come back and crown the next girl," says Duren. "You have so many more opportunities and to better yourself and that they provide you with, to represent the organization. They take you to a nationally-televised pageant where you're meeting celebrities and it's just a completely different opportunity between the people that you'll meet and the experiences and how you'll grow as a person. I think this time next year, when I come out of it, I think I'll be a very different person in some aspect I'll have gained a lot and grown a lot." It helps to have a set of supportive parents who will make sacrifices so you can achieve your dreams.

"They have been a great influence. They are my biggest cheerleaders, especially my dad. He's a cheerleader by nature, but he is definitely my biggest fan. They are always there supporting me, emotionally as well as physically being there in the audience cheering as loud as they can, and I was a little worried about having to take some time off, I called my dad and said, 'Dad, I might have to go back on your payroll for a little while, how do you feel about that? Find me some work dad,' but he's really comforting; he and my mom both realize how much of an opportunity this is and they want me to be able to take advantage of it, so I'm really lucky to have parents like this."

An autograph was in demand at this homecoming!

As for being back home, Cristin says it's nice to get a home-cooked meal after being at college for four years and on her own for two more. "It's a lot different than high school, but it's good to be back and to see my parents on a day to day basis. I didn't see them too often when I was working. I'm really hoping to catch up with some friends and my old Principal Mr. Husfelt and B.K. Hopefully I can catch up with them this weekend. It's good to be back."

What about the future when she's no longer Miss Florida? Cristin says she's exploring a lot of things, including modeling and acting. "I think my dream job would be to host Entertainment Tonight or something like that. I have lots of ideas of what I'd like to be doing but as far as exactly what I'm not really sure. I'm just going to wait and see what plays out, and if all else fails I can always go back to selling pharmaceuticals I guess, that was a great career and I loved it."

» Miss Weston Teen USA Chatter:

The final event of the Miss Florida Teen USA season was this past Sunday in the thriving international city of Weston. With a large and enthusiastic audience the ten delegates competing for the title put on a great pageant. Of course our Miss Florida USA family was there to support Miss Weston USA Rebecca Linnemon who did a wonderful job as hostess of the pageant. Check out the pictures!

Our South Florida USA titleholders await the pageant

Miss Miami USA Rachel Rose in the audience (left) & the Halavin team before the pageant (right)

The titleholders with the new Miss Weston Teen USA

» Pageant University Class of 2006!

Saturday morning at The Hollywood Production Center greeted the attendees of the sixth annual Miss Florida USA Pageant University. This is a three hour cram course in the running of preliminary pageants that is mandatory for all of our Freshman directors! With a cross section of new directors and a few current directors The Tel-Air Staff really put together quite an agenda of pageant information!

Jeanne Brander listens as Christina Giulanti (Miss South Beach USA) asks a question (left)

Attendees had a great pageant day! (right)

Mary Lou and Rachel lead the day

The Miss Florida USA Pageant University Class of 2006!

New directors in regions such as Crystal River (Miss Nature Coast USA); Wesley Chapel; South Miami Beach; Ft. Lauderdale and Hialeah our system is growing with new pageants announced every week. Kudos to Mary Lou and Rachel for the assistance it takes to make Florida the number one pageant state in the nation!

» Pageant News Wanted!

Are you a titleholder or at large delegate who is making appearances or doing good things in the community? We would love to tell all of the Miss Florida USA Family your story. Send pictures and updates to telair@aol.com as we feature everything Miss Florida USA on Friday’s at Faces & Places.

» Alumni News Wanted!

If you know of any Miss Florida USA alumni in the news please drop us an email to feature them in future articles. Email all info to info@missfloridausa.com! Until next week here to good pageantry!

PICTURE OF THE WEEK!

This weeks featured picture has our royalty Miss Florida USA

with Miss Indian World at the recent Miss Seminole Pageant that Miss Duren

judged at Hollywood's Seminole Hard Rock Casino.

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