September 8, 2006

 

 

 

 

 

» ONE OF US: JENNIFER WOOTEN - Pageants appeal to Leesburg teen

Lori Carter / Special to the Orlando Sentinel
LEESBURG -- Jennifer Wooten made her first national appearance on television last month, representing the state as Miss Florida Teen USA. "I was definitely nervous as far as the telecast went," said Wooten, 18. "I was live on NBC. All of my friends back home were watching." At the Miss Teen USA 2006 pageant Aug. 15, Wooten finished in the top 15 of 51 contestants. Miss Teen USA is part of the Miss Universe organization. The event was in Palm Springs, Calif.

Wooten graduated this year from Leesburg High School and was dually enrolled at Lake-Sumter Community College. She is now a sophomore majoring in advertising at Florida State University. The pageant included evening gown and swimsuit competitions and two short interviews. Wooten said that at the pageant, she had "a lot of fun and made friends that will continue throughout life. We really formed friendships."

Last year, she was crowned Miss Winter Park Teen USA and then named Miss Florida Teen USA on Oct. 16 in Hollywood. The pageants have helped her, Wooten said. "It's definitely given me the self-confidence to pursue anything and everything," she said. "I've acquired interview skills, whether for applying for a job, or meeting and working with other people in advertising."

Wooten started with the Miss Leesburg Scholarship Program when she was 10. She won her first pageant, Teen Miss Leesburg for 2002-03, four years later. Other titles included Miss Leesburg for 2004-05 and Florida's Miss Hometown USA for 2003-04.

Linda Watts, director of the Miss Leesburg Scholarship Program and Florida's Hometown USA, has known Wooten since she was a little girl. "I could just see her maturing as years went by," Watts said. "She learned new things each year of competing."

Watts didn't miss a minute of Miss Teen USA 2006 as Wooten's friends in Leesburg gathered to watch the show. "I was as nervous as probably her parents," Watts said. "Leesburg is very proud of her." Wooten's family, including her parents, Richard and Sharon Wooten of Leesburg, watched from the audience.

Sharon Wooten said the family is proud of Jennifer's success, although it took a few years of Jennifer's pleas before she would let her daughter enter a pageant. "I would always find something else for her to do. I guess I wasn't a pageant mom," she said. "Every year she would ask, so I finally gave in."

Now, it's becoming a family tradition. Jennifer's calendar is marked to come home from school Sept. 23, when her sister, Lauren, 14, will compete in her first Miss Leesburg pageant.

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» Kudos & Did You Knows

 

Kudos to our Miss Florida USA 2004 Kristen Berset on being hired as news anchor and producer at WJHG in Panama City. She will be anchoring and producing the 5:00 newscast and producing the 10 o'clock newscast for the NBC affiliate. Our Miss Florida USA family in the Emerald Coast will get to watch you every night. What a great gig Kristen!

 

 

 

 

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» Pageantry Paparazzi  

 

- 2005 Miss Marianas Universe Shequita LiDear DLG. Bennett poses with Marianas Senate lawmakers after being awarded a commemorative resolution during Friday's session on Capitol Hill.

 

 

 

 

- Candidate in the Miss Venezuela beauty pageant Vanessa Peretti from the state of Sucre practices during body expression lessons in Caracas September 5, 2006. Peretti is the first deaf and mute to take part in the pageant.

 

 

 

 

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» 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.

 

   

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» 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!

 

 

 

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PICTURE OF THE WEEK!

This week’s edition of POTW has a very special moment as our new Miss Universe enjoys her homecoming. This lovely picture of a child handing the local hero a beautiful rose. Were sentimentalists at heart as we award this weeks coveted POTW to our ultimate beauty. Enjoy!

 

 

 

   

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