Miss
Teen USA Reports
August
13, 2008
Welcome to Atlantis!
For
the first time ever our Miss Teen USA contestant has taken its act on the road
all the way to Nassau in The Bahamas! Fifty-one of our finest teenagers are
all gathered in anticipation of announcing Miss Teen USA 2008 this Saturday
night. We are now heading to the island to report for you first person. Look
for daily reports on the delegates with a distinctly Florida twist. Our Miss
Florida Teen USA Jillian Wunderlich is having a blast! Who wouldn’t in
paradise?
Look
for daily reports every afternoon until Monday this will feature pictorial
updates, Miss Florida USA Interviews, inside scoops and a daily profile of one
of our delegates as we are the only live blog coming to you from the Islands!
Only at www.missfloridateenusa.com.
Jessie
Colonna, Miss Kansas Teen USA 2008, Stevi Lauren Perry, Miss Arkansas Teen USA
2008, Jillian Leigh Wunderlich, Miss Florida Teen USA 2008, Ashley Stainton,
Miss Arizona Teen USA 2008, Emma Wo, Miss Hawaii Teen USA 2008, Melissa
DeJong, Miss Nebraska Teen USA 2008, and Elliot Griffin, Miss Pennsylvania
Teen USA 2008, arrive in the Royal Tower lobby
THE
DAY IN PICTURES:
Contestants arrive at Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas
Hilary Cruz, Miss Teen USA 2007, films at ATLANTIS,
Paradise Island, Bahamas on Tuesday, August 12, 2008.
Cruz will crown Miss Teen USA 2008 during the competition to be held
in the Grand Ballroom at ATLANTIS, Paradise Island,
Bahamas
on Saturday, August 16, 2008.
Ashley Stainton, Miss Arizona Teen USA 2008, Elliot Griffin, Miss Pennsylvania
Teen
USA 2008, and Emma Wo, Miss Hawaii Teen USA 2008
Bethany
Brindley, Miss Delaware Teen USA 2008
Ivana Grace, Miss Teen District
of
Columbia USA 2008
Elliot
Griffin, Miss Pennsylvania Teen USA 2008
GETTING TO KNOW MISS CONNECTICUT USA
Brianne
Hiltz, Miss Connecticut Teen USA 2008 who is the daughter of Westport Police
Lt. Gorden Hiltz, will compete for the title of Miss Teen USA 2008 on Friday
evening, Aug. 16. The 18-year-old Brianne, whose mother is Janet Hiltz, an
interior designer with HB Homes of Westport, has two older brothers, the
eldest a Marine Corps sergeant currently serving in the Middle East and the
other a graduate of Rider University. She is a recent graduate of
Shelton High School and in September will attend George Washington University
where she will carry a double major in broadcast journalism and music.
Eventually, she plans to earn her master’s degree. A smart, talented and
socially-conscious teen, Brianne was an honors student at Shelton, and very
active in extracurricular activities. The vice president of the drama club,
and a varsity member of both the cross country and the indoor and outdoor
track teams, she was also a member of the National Honor Society of World
Language in Italian, Green Tees Club, and the Diversity Club.
She is an avid runner, logging in at least five miles a day, and frequently running races for charity, including the MADD Dash, and the Special Olympics Torch Run. Brianne studies piano, voice, dance and musical theater, and is a familiar face in community theater productions, recently playing a starring role in Center Stage Theater Company’s production of “Gypsy.”
Lt. Gorden Hiltz and daughter Brianne often run together (left)
Brianne at Festival Italiano parade last month (right)
She
has put her passion for the arts to use in the community, collecting and
donating used dance shoes and free dance lessons to disadvantaged children in
several Connecticut cities.
Brianne won the state title on her very first try. In fact, she explains that she entered on a whim. “I had only three weeks to get ready, and told my parents only seven days before I had to leave,” she said. Since her crowning in November 2007, Brianne has been busy juggling her school work and extracurricular activities, while making public appearances throughout the state and preparing for the Miss Teen USA competition. “I have been working out at the gym, reading up on current events, tanning and shopping for 4-inch heels I can actually walk in,” she said.
When
asked about her expectations of the national competition, she explained, “I
suppose I am a little nervous and don’t know really what to expect since
I’ve only done the one pageant before this to get me here. It should be
exciting and great thrill.”
Brianne’s parents, Aunt Laura and Uncle Roy will travel to Paradise Island to cheer her on, and will be her main source of support and luck, as she has no plans to carry a good luck charm. “I don’t believe in good luck charms,” she said. “Besides, after I pack all my shoes I won’t have room for anything else.”