Miss USA Weekend in Vegas!

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!

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!

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!

(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!

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!

(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