Miss
Teen USA Report
July 27, 2012
DAY
NUMBER ONE IN PARADISE:
Our
National Championship of Teenage Pageantry is underway in the exotic location
of Atlantis in the Bahamas. The delegates checked into their rooms on Tuesday
night and registered Wednesday morning, the official kickoff to the pageant
weekend. They hit the ground running as it was immediately time to put on the
swimsuits and enjoy the water with a first ever paddleboat competition. After
a session amongst the waterpark, slides and lazy river it was into the
ballroom for rehearsals the rest of the day.
Our
Miss Florida Teen USA 2012 Sydney Martinez is having a blast as her family
joined her for a vacation prior to joining the festivities. Wednesday night
was the Opening Dinner and Reception amongst the aquarium like Great Hall of
Waters. It was a gated delegate and family dinner that also had contestant
introductions and a rousing rendition of the “Bunny Hop” by several of the
delegates.
The
evening wasn’t over as it was a girl’s only night at the teen disco then
time to get some rest for another hectic day on Thursday. We are on the island
and will upload pix to our www.Flickr.com/MissFloridaUSA
site as well as our traditional daily postings from the Island concluding on
Monday.
OFFICIAL BAHAMAS PHOTOS
Miss Mississippi Teen USA 2012, Jessica Makayla Carter, prepares for the the Miss Teen USA Competition July 28, 2012 from Atlantis,
Paradise
Island in the Bahamas /
Miss
Texas Teen USA 2012, Madison Lee /Miss
Florida Teen USA 2012, Sydney Martinez
PADDLE BOARD RACES:
Miss Florida Teen USA 2012, Sydney Martinez, competes in the West Surfing Paddleboard Race at ATLANTIS, Paradise Island,
Bahamas on Wednesday /Miss Arkansas Teen USA 2012, Amber Mitchell
Miss Virginia Teen USA 2012, Elizabeth Coakley / Miss Connecticut Teen USA 2012, Logan West; and Miss District Of Columbia Teen USA 2012, Sierra Moriah
Hadley; prepare to compete in the West Surfing Paddleboard Race
Miss District Of Columbia Teen USA 2012, Sierra Moriah Hadley; Miss Connecticut Teen USA 2012, Logan West; Miss Florida
Teen USA 2012, Sydney Martinez; Miss Colorado Teen USA 2012, Jacqueline Zuccherino; Miss Idaho Teen USA 2012, Kimberly Layne;
and
Miss Georgia Teen USA 2012, Courtney Lynne Smits; pose for a photo in their
West Surfing gear
OPENING NIGHT DINNER AND RECEPTION:
Miss
Martinez with her roommate Miss Zuccherino / Miss Martinez during the final
group shot of the evening
Group
shot before the delegate dinner
Final cast shot of the evening
Florida
and New Mexico with their very proud moms
GETTING TO KNOW: MISS NEW MEXICO TEEN USA
LAS CRUCES — Miss New Mexico Teen USA
Jacqueline Cai is prepared to represent her state next weekend in the Bahamas
while competing for the title of Miss Teen USA. "My goal is to bring New
Mexico the recognition it deserves," said Cai, a 17-year-old Mesilla
Valley Christian Schools graduate. "We have so much to offer; so much
culture."
Cai,
who considered her younger self shy and withdrawn, said she always admired the
confidence, poise and values that pageant girls exuded. Uneasy about her
multiracial background, Cai, an Asian-American, said she had trouble feeling
accepted in school. "I was always bullied and was never sure of myself. I
felt like I never really fit in," Cai said. "Then I realized that
looking different doesn't make you inferior you should be judged by your
character, not by how you look."
After
this revelation, Cai decided to put her fears aside and break out of her
shell. "I wanted to do (the pageant) and be that girl that I've always
looked up to. I've always had a lot to say, but was too scared to say
it," Cai said.
Cai
is the second Las Crucen to represent New Mexico this year in the Miss
Universe pageants, following in the footsteps of her friend Jessica Martin, a
New Mexico State University grad who competed in June for the title of Miss
USA.
"We
call each other sisters. We're really close in that sense; she's like my
little sister," Martin said of Cai. "I just want to say, first of
all, I'm so proud of her there's so many people behind her that are supporting
her. Whether or not she comes back a winner, she's still a winner in our
eyes."
Like Martin, Cai is also a relative newcomer
to the pageant scene. Having no prior experience with the Miss Universe
Organization, she submitted her application for the Miss New Mexico Teen USA
competition on a whim a week before the deadline.
"It was surreal to me when I stepped on
that stage. The part of me that always wanted to come out finally came out. I
was living the dream I was scared to act upon," Cai said. On a platform
of anti-bullying and an advocate for the importance of education, Cai won the
title of Miss New Mexico Teen USA 2012.
To promote her campaign, Cai has traveled to
different schools in the region, promoting bullying awareness and stressing
the importance of education. She has visited Conlee Elementary and Chaparral
Middle School, and spoken with elementary students at her high school alma
mater.
"She's a National Leadership Award
recipient, for both 2011 and 2012, by the United States Achievement Academy.
She's reached to more people in the community, in regards to her passions in
anti bullying and stressing the importance of higher education," Betty
Cai, Jacqueline Cai's mother, said. "I trust Jackie will make New Mexico
very proud."
Cai was captain of her high school golf team
and a varsity cheerleader, has had rigorous dance training and has taken piano
lessons since the age of 3. She has performed piano recitals at various senior
homes throughout the community and teaches piano lessons to blind children
with the assistance of her piano teacher.
Despite her involvement in extracurricular
activities, Cai places a priority on her education. In the fall, she plans to
attend the University of New Mexico where she was one of 28 students accepted
into the competitive Combined BA/MD Degree Program — an eight-year program
that guarantees a spot at UNM's School of Medicine.
After her journey through the preliminary
pageant, Cai remains set on her original goal as she heads into the Miss Teen
USA competition on Monday. The competition is July 28 at Atlantis, Paradise
Island in the Bahamas.
"Now, I want to be that girl that can inspire, encourage and empower the youth across the nation. I want to be that girl that I looked up to and be that stronger voice," Cai said. "You don't have to have a sash and crown to have that voice, but having a title like that allows you to present your message to a larger audience and gives you a louder voice."