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NEW QUEEN
by Katherine Loeck
She's a blonde bombshell with a modeling contract and a crown.
In front of 5.6 million viewers, Gentry Miller represented Kansas in the Miss Teen USA Pageant and landed a spot in the top 10 on August 15. But, back in Kansas, the Wichita freshman says that no one knows who she is. Now she's on The Hill with the rest of KU students in jeans, a t-shirt and no make-up.
As Miss Kansas Teen USA, Miller received a generous scholarship to Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Mo. However, the University of Kansas was her first love, so she opted to stay true to her heart and close to home.
The most difficult part about coming to college was leaving her best friend and support system in Wichita, Miller says. Her grandmother, Cheryl, adopted her when she was 3. The close bond that grew between them
over the years is obvious in Miller's smile when she talks of her grandmother.
ON CAMPUS
"As a little girl, she and I would always watch the pageants for fun, but we never dreamed at
the time that she would do something like that,"Cheryl says.
When she was young, Miller looked up to the pageant contestants as role models but never thought she could do it. Years later, during her senior year at Wichita
Northwest High School, Miller's childhood dream became a reality.It wasn't until a couple of weeks before the state pageant
MISS TEEN USA 2006 TOP10
that Miller decided to enter. She had thought about it all year but decided on a whim to try her first pageant — just for fun. Roger Powell, Miller's high school math teacher, says that she
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always seemed shy in class, which is not something you would expect from a girl who can walk across a stage wearing nothing but a swimsuit. When all was said and done, she had a plane ticket to California and a roommate at
KU, Alexandra Latimer, Wichita freshman and first runner-up.
The college freshman
Surprised to have won in Kansas, Miller was looking forward to the opportunity and learning experience in California, no matter the outcome. Her spot in the top 10 earned her $500 and a modeling contract with Brides magazine. Her money will definitely be used for school expenses, but because she's so busy with school, she hasn't followed up on any of her modeling opportunities, her grandmother says. She wants to focus on her college career for now.
Miller doesn't really consider herself a beauty queen. "People think you just have to walk on stage and look pretty," she says. Pageants involve academics, community involvement, public speaking, charity work and much more, she says. In high school, Miller was the captain of her cheerleading squad, homecoming queen and valedictorian."I was friends with everyone but I was the kid who
always stayed at home doing homework,"she says.
However, at the price of being a straight-A student, Miller is a perfectionist. The pageant process is a good way for women to show their strengths and improve their weaknesses, she says. She initially got involved to gain speaking and interviewing skills before college. Now, the opportunity to be a role model for young girls motivates her. "I wanted to make a positive impact on Kansas," Miller says.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF GENTRY MILLER
She and her grandmother were slightly relieved when she didn't take the crown at the national pageant. If she had won, Miller's college plans would have been put on hold. Now at KU, Miller is excited to venture away from her homebody tendencies, become more independent and pursue a career in cosmetic dentistry.
Check Gentry Miller out in this year's Homecoming Parade and visit www.misskansas.com for more pictures and information.
Gentry Miller poses with her cousin, Katie Ouvan, after being crowned Miss Kansas Teen USA.
08.31.2006 JAYPLAY <07