A year in the life of Miss Ohio Teen USA

One of the last posts...

2009-10-08T06:55:00.000-07:00

Wow it is so strange to think that my year as Miss Ohio Teen USA is coming to an end, when it feels like only yesterday I was crowned! I am so thankful to have had such an amazing year, and I am so grateful to the many people who have made my year possible! As my reign gets closer and closer to completeion I keep thinking back to the few days before the state pageant. All of the last minute things that need completed, the adrenaline, the nerves, but mostly the excitement. Then when I got to the pageant,it was still the same feelings, the adrenaline, nerves, excitement, and learning patterns and choreography at what feels like the last minute! Girls, Remember,ya you are in a competition, but you still should take this time and make the most out of it, have fun, make friends, live in the moment, because this is an experience you will never forget! Good Luck, and I can't wait to crown Miss Ohio Teen USA 2010!

Miss Teen USA 2009!

2009-08-10T15:09:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! I just got back from my incredible trip to the Bahama's, and I had such an amazing time! I am so excited to report back to my state that I made the top 15 at Miss Teen USA!!! I want to post my pictures from the pageant quickly for everyone to see, and I will blog more about my experience soon! Thank you so much for every one's love and support, I am truly the luckiest girl in the world to have so many wonderful people helping me go after all of my dreams!

My journey to Miss Teen USA finally started, but it wasn't until after countless hours of practice, dress rehearsals, and packing!

It took awhile, but I managed to get all of my clothes in one BIG suitcase! :)

We arrived at the atlantis! I got a chance to workout and then I went exploreing, and look what I found...

Our first contestant breakfast!

The welcome dinner at the Atlantis! Even my baby brother got to take a part in all of the fun and excitement!

My roomie, Kristen, and I always made sure we looked our best :)!

The competition!

Send off to Miss Teen USA!

2009-07-24T14:00:00.001-07:00

My mom, my sisters, and me at my send off party!

Even the Mayor of Aurora, Lynn McGill, came to wish me good luck!

I can't believe it is finally here! I have spent so much time dreaming, preparing, and practicing and now it is almost finally time to go to Miss Teen USA! I am so excited, but I'm going to have to keep this post short, because I still have some packing to do!

May

2009-06-02T16:43:00.000-07:00

May has been such a busy month full of so many exciting things! The end of my life as a high school student is approaching. In fact graduation is next week! Everyone has always told me high school flies bye so fast, but I never took them seriously, that is until now! These last four years have been so amazing, but I am so excited, because as they say when one door closes another one opens!

Anyways I started this month off in Cincinnati with my amazing director and the stunning Miss Michigan Teen! Kristen and I were invited by Renee Jackson (a former miss Ohio teen and just the sweetest girl ever!) to be models in Macy's Dior make up event! Although we had to wake up at 5:00 AM to get ready, we didn't mind, because it was so much fun! After the show we were taken straight to Deb's studio to get our pictures taken! The photo shoot was absolutely incredible. I never have really had fashion photos taken of me before. So it was a very exciting experience, and with the help of my director and photographer I was transformed into a model! The night wasn't over yet. Afterwards we went back to Melissa's for some practice, and the following morning I woke up early to drive 5 1/2 hrs home. Luckily I made it just in time to watch my friends put on our school's spring musical Bye Bye Birdie! I am so grateful for the experiences I had this weekend!

This is Renee (Miss Ohio Teen'02) and me!

This is an on stage shot of me at the show!

Miss Michigan Teen and me!

May 15th the Orange Jubilee Fest!

2009-05-15T21:25:00.000-07:00

I spent the afternoon as an honored guest at the orange Jubilee Festival! As I arrived to Orange High School I was greeted by Mayor Kathy Mulcahy and Superintendent Nancy Wingenbach. Then we announced the winners of the 2009 Photography contest! I also got to host the Teen's Band Night which featured various genres of music!

I got to meet so many amazing kids! I spent a ton of time signing autographs and taking pictures!

The friendly police had a simulation game set up to advocate the importance of staying drug and alcohol free, and this is us right after I played!

I think it is so important that kids, teens, and even adults believe in leading healthy life styles without the use of harmful substances. I know peer pressure (especially for teens) can be so strong, but you have to listen to yourself, and do what you know is right! I am not the type of person who has ever given in to peer pressure, and let me tell you I have never lost any friends over it! My social life has always been busy, and in fact my friends respect me even more for sticking with my beliefs! We have such an amazing time hanging out without any of that stuff. I really hope you choose to avoid drugs not only for yourself, but for all of the people who care about and love you!

May 10th- Senior Prom!

2009-05-11T09:36:00.000-07:00

I can not believe how fast this year is flying by! Last weekend was my senior prom (Which was so much fun)! It is so strange to realize that I am almost done with high school and I am getting ready to journey on to my future!

This is a picture of me getting ready for prom (Yes I wore my state dress, but I love it so much I figured I could get an extra wear out of it, plus my friends had never seen me in it before :) )

This is my date and me!

This picture is of one of my best friends, Rebekah and myself before prom!

Miss USA Weekend in Vegas!

2009-04-24T12:11:00.000-07:00

I just got back from Miss USA and I had such an amazing time! First off, I have to congradulate my big pageant sis, Natasha! She was so beautiful at Miss USA and I think she did a great job representing Ohio! :)

The entire weekend was packed with fun events for the teens such as the True Beauty Expo, the Fashion Rocks show, and of course the main event MISS USA!

Allie Laforce and Chelsea Cooley are probably at the top of my list for the most beautiful girls I have ever met, not only are gorgeous on the outside, but their beauty comes from the kindness within their hearts! I am so grateful I got to get to know them!

At the Fashion Rocks fashion show they treated the teens like celebrities. We got to walk the Red Carpet, have an on camera interview, and get our photos taken by the paparazi! It was such a fun experience, because it was so exciting! This was also one of the first times I got to meet the fantastic '09 teens!

This was my amazing sister, Amanda, and my very first time in Vegas. I am so glad she came with me (Thanks sis!). This picture was taken in our hotel room at Planet Hollywood while we were getting ready for Miss USA!

This was taken right before the show!
I even got a few seconds of fame on national TV, the camera guy caught me sitting in the audience!

The beautiful Kristen (my new best friend a.k.a Miss Michigan Teen'09), and the gorgeous Allie(Miss Teen USA'05)

This is a picture of Kristen, Jessi, and myself (Jesse did such an amazing job at Miss USA I am so excited for her, she is truly such a sweetheart!)

March!

2009-03-20T16:27:00.000-07:00

Wow! There has been a lot more to March Madness than just college basketball at my house! March has been such a busy month, but I do love being busy!

I started March off in Virginia at the Stand Out Productions retreat where I got to work with the gorgeous Chelsea Cooley and the talented AT Dunn. Of course the beautiful Natasha was there and I even got to meet some of the other '09 Teens (Miss Arkansas, New Jersey, and Georgia... I had so much fun girls :) ) We spent the weekend not just practicing for the pageant, but pushing ourselves out of our comfort zones, and being the best we could be! It was such a blast!

(Getting ready for the big Jump!)

(This was right before I jumped off of the leap of fate, which is basically a telephone pole that you jump off of, I was just a little nervous... OK maybe really nervous, but it ended up being so much fun!)

This month, with the help of my school's superintendent Russ Bennett, I started a reading program at Craddock Elementary School where I spent one day a week reading the short story "Born to Read" to each of the first grade classes! I wanted to meet with the kids and not only discuss the necessity of education, but also the importance of setting and reaching goals! I was so excited (and surprised) to be met at each class with beautiful smiling faces and rounds of applause (I never imagined I would be greeted like a celebrity before!) After reading I got to spend time getting to know the kids, and they got a chance to get to know me when I answered their many questions!

March 7th- I was a guest at the Cleveland Science Museum where they created the Science Behind Beauty Lab. I spent the afternoon learning and then teaching the kids how to make soap!

On March 14th I got to spend the day at the Ohio Area 10 Special Olympics Bowling Tournament in Akron. I had so much fun meeting all of the many wonderful contestants. I couldn't believe how many people were there, not only members of the competition, but all of the people who were there showing support and cheering on the bowlers! I felt like such a celebrity, signing autographs and being asked to take pictures with everyone! I was so proud of every contestant for their hard work and determination. The most memorable part of the day was after the first group finished they ran over to me, because they said they "wanted to take their first winning pictures with Miss Ohio Teen!" Which made me feel so honored! It was so much fun, and I am hoping to work out arrangements to go to the Special Olympics state finals in Columbus, Ohio to cheer on the players.

On March 18th I celebrated my 18th Birthday!!!

(This is me with my baby brother during my Birthday dinner!)

Life as a Senior has been busy too!

(At school we've been busy getting everything organized for graduation, and these are some of my senior pictures!)

Also, throughout the month I have been meeting with my guidance councilor, Mrs. Miley, and I am thrilled to say we are getting really close to having all of the arrangements ready to start the girl talk chapter in my school district! Girl Talk is a student to student mentoring program where girls from the high school meet with girls at the middle school to discuss issues facing teens today! (to learn more visit desiretoinspire.org or if you are interested in starting a chapter in Ohio and want help feel free to e-mail me at Missohioteenusa2009@yahoo.com!) I am really excited to start this club, because I couldn't imagine going through middle school without having someone to turn to, and I want all middle school girls to have someone they feel they can talk to and trust!

Healthy Heart!

2009-02-25T13:32:00.000-08:00

On February 23rd I helped out with the Healthy Heart Night event at Leighton Elementary School. I was really excited to learn that this event was going on in my town. The event was a night emphasising the importance of living a healthy life style. Heart disease is the number one killer in America. This cause is very close to my heart, because I lost my father to a heart attack when I was in 6th grade. Which is why keeping a healthy lifestyle is very important to me, and I want to make others not only more aware of this problem, but also more aware of prevention techniques. I was so honored to be a guest at this event and talk with the kids about being healthy. The night was full of healthy snacks, games, and I got to run the obstacle course! The obstacle course was set up to simulate how the blood pumps through the heart, and it was a test of physical strength for the children and myself as well!

(This is a picture of Hannah and I after racing the obstacle course)

My Pageant Weekend in PA!

2009-02-25T13:05:00.000-08:00

(Our winning photos were displayed as we arrived!)

Natasha and I got to spend the weekend in Pennsylvania along with state title holders from West Virginia,Pennsylvania,and Michigan in preparation for our journey to nationals! We spent the entire weekend working with a nutritionist, a communications specialist, and many pageant experts! It was so much fun, and it was such an incredible learning experience! I am so thankful for everyone who made this weekend possible!

(This is the state Miss and Teen contestants that attended!!!)

My first appearance!

2008-12-17T14:21:00.000-08:00

My first appearance was at the Tinseltown event where we raised money for the performing Art centers in Cleveland!

Not only did I meet some amazing kids, but I also got a chance to see Santa!

November 22, 2008, I was crowned Miss Ohio Teen USA 2009!

2008-12-08T17:31:00.000-08:00

(My Crowning Moment!!!)

This is my pageant big sis Natasha a.k.a Miss Ohio USA 2009!!! I know this is going to be such an incredible year. I am so lucky to have such a kind and loving friend to spend the year with. I know we both have some special plans for our futures, and we have some incredible plans for our titles!

Hello everyone, I'm Kelsey Stevens, and two weeks ago I was crowned Miss Ohio Teen USA 2009! As my community, friends, and relatives call to congratulate me and show their support it still feels as though I'm living in a dream. A dream that I have had since I was a little girl, sitting in my family room, watching the Miss Teen USA pageants on TV. Let me tell you, these last two weeks have been the craziest weeks of my life! It all started on November 19 when my baby brother Jaxson was born. I asked my mom for a baby brother when I was three years old, and little did I know that I would actually get one! I was so thankful that he came just in time for me to meet him before I headed down to Portsmouth the next day. When check in day came I was so excited for this experience and I was planning on having the time of my life, which looking back I can honestly say I followed through with my plans. The day was spent meeting the other contestants, having interviews with the judges, rehearsals, and the important preliminary show. The next day brought us down to the finals. I remember dancing backstage with some friends right as the show was about to start. Then I came on stage and I saw my mom, my baby brother and the rest of my family made it to cheer for me. That's when I knew no matter what the outcome was this was one of the most exciting nights of my life! They called the top 15 and I was in it! Next they called the top 5, and I was still there! Then the big moment was arriving.As all of the girls came on stage for the announcement of the special awards the top five was taken off stage. I couldn't really hear what was being said, but the next thing I did hear was someone saying "they just called your name go onstage". It wasn't until after I was backstage that I saw I had won Miss congeniality, and I lost it. I felt so blessed to have the other contestants vote me for that title and just to be where I was that I started crying tears of joy. Then we were back on stage again and they started calling the names of the runner-ups. It was down to Jena Diller and myself and I still hadn't heard my name. Again I started crying, because just as I said earlier it felt like I was living out a dream, because I'd spent so much time imagining that moment and it was finally there! When I heard my name announced as Miss Ohio Teen USA 2009 I thought I was going to pass out!

I am so grateful for this experience, for all of my supporters, and my family (I couldn't do it without you!). Also, thank-you to everyone who made the pageant weekend possible! I promise I will work hard to be the best Miss Ohio Teen USA 2009 I can be!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYirlmZeU8Q
<3 Kels