Miss Florida USA Faces

With the final preparations for Miss Florida USA taking place around our state we thought we would share some fun pictures with our loyal viewers. Mock Interviews, Going Away Parties and other last minute preparations are on the front of our delegates agendas. We thought we would share some pictures from the various camps. Enjoy and see everyone Tuesday in Hollywood!

Miss Hollywood USA 2008 Yazmin Navarro is treated like royalty at her sendoff at The

Hollywood Beach Marriott (left) & team West Broward USA celebrate 4^th of July style (right)

What a great year it has been with our reigning Miss Florida USA Jenna Edwards. From the moment Ms. Edwards was awarded the title she dedicated herself to helping those within our state. She traveled from The Panhandle to The Florida Keys in her efforts to support worthy causes and charities. Along the way pictures were taken and memories made. So in salute to our Ms. Edwards here is the first of a two part salute!

» Teen gallops over obstacles as animal welfare advocate

Animals have always been Gabriela Wagner's life. So it was heartbreaking when a horse almost took her life. The 18-year-old Boca Raton resident, who has been riding horses since she was 5, was training her newly purchased horse last July when the yearling kicked her in the face. Wagner was knocked unconscious and woke up in a pool of her own blood. A family nearby helped her get to a hospital.

After 250 stitches, three weeks of temporary blindness and rhinoplasty, Wagner is still smiling. "Without the negative, you can't appreciate the positive," she said. "I know my horse loved me and that it was just an accident," she said.

Over the years the animal advocate has traveled around the world to work with animals. During spring break of her freshman year of high school, Wagner traveled to England to the Ada Cole Rescue Stables, which she found through research on the Internet. There she trained horses and cleaned stables.

Later that year she traveled to Thailand to help elephants for three weeks during the summer. Wagner said she enjoyed getting to know her elephant, Tantawan, which means sunflower in Thai. She went to Canada to help out in the office of a veterinarian during spring break of her sophomore year.

Wagner can't say for sure when her love for animals first developed. "I could be sarcastic and say it was when I first watched The Lion King," she said. "I've just always felt a connection to animals. I sense things in them."

Although Wagner was born in Hollywood, Fla., she has lived in Boca Raton since she was 2. "The ambience of Boca is a dream," she said. "But it's a bubble. We don't get a sense of reality here. I miss that."

In ninth grade, Wagner started an animal welfare club at Pine Crest, where she attends school on the Fort Lauderdale campus. The club is called Project Noah's Arc, the "c" being intentional to represent the circle of life. Together the members have raised a total of $2,000 since the club's inception by selling everything from smoothies to baked goods on campus.

"I want to raise way more money," Wagner said. One of her ideas to expand fund-raising beyond her school is to throw an animal tea party, where guests can bring their pets. But animals aren't her only passion. In her spare time, Wagner can be found writing screenplays - a love that began after she first read William Shakespeare's works in the sixth grade.

Wagner recently completed a screenplay for a historical film that takes place in Spain and revolves around the Spanish Inquisition, the voyage of Christopher Columbus and the Muslim expulsion. "It's about love, hate, greed and peace," Wagner said. "Now I'm just waiting for someone to produce it."

Just for fun, Wagner entered her first beauty pageant this year and was crowned Miss Boca Raton Teen USA 2008. Now she will continue on to compete for the title of Miss Florida Teen and could ultimately make her way to the Miss Teen USA pageant. Her pageant platform is raising awareness for animal issues.

"I definitely didn't expect to win," Wagner said. "I was thinking they called the wrong name."

Wagner is close to her family and said she always finds support from her parents, Ronald and Debra. She also has two older sisters - Daniela, 29, and Ariela, 27 - whom she considers to be her best friends. The rising high school senior already has big plans for her future, which include becoming a veterinarian.

Although Wagner recently turned 18, she said that she didn't really want to celebrate. "I hate birthdays," she said, "because I hate when people make a big fuss about me. Just get me a cake and I'll be happy."

"Besides my parents and sisters, someone who fought for what they believe in, even though everyone challenged them."

If you were stranded on a desert island and could take only three things, what would they be and why?

"My iPod because I'm a music freak, maybe my cellphone to stay in contact with people and the complete works of William Shakespeare."

is an animal advocate. In ninth grade, she started an animal welfare club at Pine Crest,

where she attends school on the Fort Lauderdale campus. The club is called Project Noah's Arc

Miss Naples Teen USA Samantha Misener and Kelly Sullivan, who will represent Collier County in the upcoming Miss Florida USA pageant were the special guests of a promotional concert in Ft Myers on Thursday July 5. The girls were treated as royalty... they were picked up by a pink limo that drove them around Ft Myers.

They took pictures and signed autographs for fans and they greeted the audience who attended the concert by Spanish rock band ODA’s. Local personalities such as Telemundo host Mauricio Pallares, Miss Latina SW Florida Silvana Camargo, Naples Daily News Special Projects Manager Alberto Sabina and D'Latinos Editor in Chief Alfredo Mathews were present at the event.

Sam Misener wishes her queen sister the best of luck at the upcoming Miss Florida

USA pageant (left) Samantha and Kelly with Mr. Alberto Sabina, from the local newspaper the

Naples Daily News and Vista Semanal, publications in which the girls have been featured several times (right)

- Kudos to Miranda Weber, Miss Avalon Park USA 2008 (and aspiring chef) who along with Nicole Webb, Miss Orlando USA 2008 recently hosted a bake sale to benefit Share Our Strength's fight to end childhood hunger in America. The event was part of The Great American Bake Sale which allowed people from all over the country to host bake sales in their communities as a fun and easy way fight childhood hunger. Proceeds help children throughout the country to receive nutritious food. Way to do something so deliciously wonderful Miranda and Nicole!

» PICTURES & STORIES WANTED!

If you enjoy reading the stories of our Miss Florida USA Family and want us to know what great things are happening either during or after you reign please email us at telair@aol.com. We love touting our sorority of outstanding Florida women. Please send us a paragraph (or two) on your appearances, awards or community service and include pictures. We want you to have all of the support of this great lifestyle we call Miss Florida USA!

» 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!

With one last edition of our POTW before Miss Florida USA 2008 we thought we would pay homage to our wonderful titleholder Jenna Edwards. If you know Ms. Edwards then you know she is all about her charity â€œQueen For A Day's so we found this picture at a recent fundraiser with one of her â€œspecial's children. So naturally we thought you would enjoy Ms. Edwards final Picture of The Week.