Miss Arizona USA® and Miss Arizona Teen USA® 2014 Crowned
Mesa, Arizona (PRWEB) December 04, 2013 -- Jordan Wessel, 20, of Tempe was crowned MISS ARIZONA USA® 2014 and Savannah Wix, 16, of Paradise Valley was crowned MISS ARIZONA TEEN USA® 2014. 67 young ladies ages 14-26 participated in the state pageant at the Mesa Arts Center, produced by Casting Crowns Productions, Inc. The pageant was a 3-day event, beginning with a Gala benefiting Gabriel's Angels, an Arizona non-profit that pairs therapy dog teams with organizations that help children in crisis, the Preliminary Competition where all contestants were evaluated in Swimsuit, Evening Gown and Interview and the Coronation show where the semifinalists, finalists and winners were named.
This year’s group of contestants included a young lady battling ovarian cancer. Diagnosed in July 2013, Kristina Anderson, 25, made the decision to compete in the MISS ARIZONA USA® Pageant as a way to have something positive to focus on while enduring chemotherapy.
“Thank you for giving me the confidence to compete when I first found out I was diagnosed with cancer. It is because of your encouragement that I had the confidence to take on this journey amidst all the challenges I was about to face.” Kristina Anderson, Miss Maricopa County USA
During the Preliminary Swimsuit Competition, Kristina wowed the audience by removing her head scarf for her final pose. VIDEO: https://vimeo.com/80936571
Kristina placed in the Top 15 and was named the Spirit Award winner.
Crowning videos--Jordan Wessel https://vimeo.com/80859551
Savannah Wix: https://vimeo.com/80856426
Britt Boyse is the Executive Director of the pageant, and has produced Miss Arizona USA® and Miss Arizona Teen USA® for the past nine years. "Each young lady has her own reasons for entering the pageant. It's not all about winning; it is truly about the journey," states Boyse. "The pageant encourages each contestant to learn and develop what is special and unique about herself. So many young ladies enter in the hopes of gaining self-confidence. What they don't understand is that they HAVE that confidence, the pageant just provides a vehicle for them to realize it."
“I have been enriched in so many ways by this experience and you better believe I'll be back next year!” Brittany Mazur, Miss Grand Canyon USA
“I have never made a better decision in my life than to compete.” Madison Jean, Miss Basha Teen USA
“I had the best experience I could ever ask for this weekend!” Mary Espiritu, Miss West Valley Teen USA
“Only through a pageant could complete strangers become sisters in such a small amount of time.” Alyssa Ingurgio, Miss East Mesa Teen USA
“I decided to enter this pageant hoping to grow in some way and I never imagined that by the end of it I would be so overwhelmed with emotions I've never experienced before.” Olivia Ortiz, Miss Tucson Teen USA
Jordan Wessel, a Junior at Arizona State University and a member of Kappa Alpha Theta, will compete at the nationally televised MISS USA® Pageant live on NBC in 2014. Savannah Wix, a Junior at Xavier College Preparatory in Phoenix, will compete in the MISS TEEN USA® Pageant in the summer of 2014.
All of the Semifinalists, Top 5 finalists and winners receive very generous scholarships from both Grand Canyon University and Lindenwood University. The MISS ARIZONA USA®/MISS ARIZONA TEEN USA® Pageants offered over $1.4 million in scholarships this year.
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FOLLOW MISS ARIZONA USA/MISS ARIZONA TEEN USA:
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MissArizonaUSA and http://www.facebook.com/MissArizonaTeenUSA
• Twitter: @RealMissAZUSA and @RealMissAZTeen
• Instagram: @MissArizonaUSA and @MissArizonaTeenUSA
ABOUT THE MISS ARIZONA USA®/MISS ARIZONA TEEN USA® PAGEANTS:
Casting Crowns Productions Inc. produces the MISS ARIZONA USA® and MISS ARIZONA TEEN USA® Pageants under license from the Miss Universe Organization, LP, LLLP, a Donald J. Trump and NBCUniversal joint venture. Britt Boyse is the President and serves as the Executive Director of the pageants. For more information, visit http://www.missarizonausa.com.
Britt Boyse, Casting Crowns Productions, Inc., http://www.missarizonausa.com, +1 (480) 382-1678, [email protected]
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