Miss Florida USA Faces

Miss Florida USA 2008 Jessica Rafalowski hit the ground running with a media press tour of South Florida early Sunday morning. Let’s make that really early Sunday morning! Her official reign began by being announced at Saturday Night’s Coronation Ball at The Westin Diplomat Convention Center that lasted well past 2:00am. Then it was an hour sleep as call was 6:30am to go to Miami’s media outlets.

Sash and Crown in tow it was off to her first on camera interview all the way in the town of Doral for a 8:00am appearance with WFOR CBS Four. Morning Anchor Jade Alexander and her crew of producers made Ms. Rafalowski feel very comfortable and it showed! Our segment went way long as the segment was captivating and showed what a great story our Miss Florida USA has. After a few pictures it was back on The Don Shula Expressway for our second stop of the tour.

WPLG-ABC Ten in The City of Miami was our final stop. We hustled east and made the 9:10 segment time. Anchor Todd Tongen and their team of producers provided a great arena in which to tout our title-holders goal of assisting several children’s charities during her reign. With two great interviews behind us it was time to return to The Westin Diplomat Resort and Spa. The final order of duty for Sunday morning was to sign the official contracts in the pageant suite.

Then after a few days of vacation with her family Ms. Rafalowski returned to Hollywood to tape her onscreen debut as hostess as she leads the Preliminary Competition Interview DVD. She also was on camera taping a Miss Florida Teen USA recruitment commercial and answering 5 questions for our www.YouTube.com/MissFloridaUSA Channel Movie of The Week.

Look for a report from next weekends Miss Seminole Tribe Pageant as Ms. Rafalowski spends a wonderful long weekend at The Seminole Hard Rock Casino. Her host, The Seminole Tribe of Florida, are great friends of The Miss Florida USA System and treat our titleholders like royalty. They also immerse her in their wonderful and traditional culture. Great pictures and video will follow!

» 59 vie for state pageant crown in Hollywood

Fifty-nine young women from across the state arrived at the Westin Diplomat Resort and Spa in Hollywood Tuesday to begin their weeklong quest to become Miss Florida USA 2008. South Florida had 15 representatives in the bunch -- most armed with shiny hair, small dresses and an untamed desire for the crown.

''The others don't want it as bad as I do,'' said Lindsay Shockey, the current Miss Broward County. Shockey, a University of Miami architecture graduate student, said this is her third consecutive appearance in the statewide pageant, she has also been Miss Hollywood and and Miss Pembroke Pines. ''This is a job that I'm ready for,'' she said.

At age 25, she won't be allowed to compete next year. She'll have to resort to her fallback career path as a commercial architect. ``I want to move to Atlanta and design one really great building to really get my name out there.''

Jessica White, a 19-year-old senior at Florida International University and Miss Pembroke Pines, said she'd like to use the title to make contacts for her career in public relations.

''The current Miss Florida USA was telling us earlier that even though she didn't win, she made a lot of great friends and connections at the Miss USA pageant,'' she said. ``I definitely want to run my own firm one day and represent the kind of people who do everything from owning restaurants . . . to charities.''

Jenna Edwards, the current Miss Florida USA and the former Miss North Miami, said that it took 18 years of competing in pageants to prepare her for winning her crown. Edwards said that skills learned in just the interview process were invaluable. She admitted, ``You have to kind of learn to be charming enough to win over the guys and not offend the women. It's a balancing act.''

enjoys a speaker at pageant under way at Hollywood's Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa.

An Air Force beauty queen is leaving active duty to pursue a career in television, according to a press release from Charleston Air Force Base, S.C.

First Lt. Kelly George, deputy chief of public affairs for the 314th Airlift Wing at Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark., will become an individual mobilization augmentee in the first week of August. George, who competed in this year’s Miss USA pageant as Miss Arkansas USA, will transition through the Palace Chase program, which allows active-duty airmen to complete their service obligation in reserve status.

A recent change to the Palace Chase program means George can complete her obligation as a reservist in the same amount of time she would owe on active duty. When the program reverts to its previous standards on Oct. 1, anyone entering the program could owe two or three times as much time as a reservist.

“To be honest, when I started the program it was under the old rule,” George said. “That wasn’t a problem for me, but it was definitely nice when I found out about the new option. I plan to stay longer than my current two-year commitment, but it is always nice to have that option.”

George plans to become a TV news anchor in her civilian life. “I’m not getting out because I didn’t like the Air Force,” she said. “I just got the dream job offer as a civilian. Now I will still be able to work with my Air Force partners here and pursue that career.”

Second Lieutenant Kelly George was selected as Miss Arkansas USA in Oct. 2006.

Nearly 60 Directors, Teen USA titleholders and Teen parents attended the Second Annual Directors/Teen Titleholders Dinner at Mama Mia's Ristorante in downtown Hollywood. Big Kudos to Miss Hollywood USA 2008 Pageant Director, Jules Meyer who chaired and hosted the special event.

The event was a great way for the Teens to meet and to get to know each other a little better prior to Teen USA pageant week activities. Also a big thank you goes to all who attended this fun-filled evening and special thanks to Mama Mia's and Tommy Franco for making it all happen. You guys rock!

» 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!

For one of the very few times our Picture of The Week Committee had a unanimous selection. We head back to Bailey Concert Hall this past weekend for the crowning of The Sunshine States Pageant Champion, Miss Florida USA 2008 Jessica Rafalowski. Look for big things from this titleholder! You’re the recipient of this weeks POTW!