MISS TEEN USA PAGEANT Memory of dad drives Miss Ohio

Having overcome adversity, she is competing to be crowned Miss Teen USA.
By MATT BIXENSTINE
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
POLAND -- In a span of just more than a month last year, Amanda Stevens felt both the euphoria of accomplishment and the devastation of loss.
Stevens, 17, of Poland, was crowned 2003 Miss Ohio Teen USA on Nov. 23. As Miss Mahoning County, she beat 61 contestants in her first appearance in the pageant and only third pageant overall since she began competing at 15.
On Dec. 28, her father, Mark Stevens, died of a heart attack.
"At first I didn't want to do this [pageants] anymore," said Stevens in a phone interview from Palm Springs, Calif. "He was so proud of me for winning the state crown."
Ultimately, Stevens opted to persevere in her pageant career, carrying the thought of her father's pride each time she takes the stage.
She is vying for the most significant title of her pageant career. The final round of the Miss Teen USA pageant will be televisioned nationally at 8 p.m. Tuesday live from Palm Springs on NBC.
Stevens, who will be a senior at Poland Seminary High School this fall, spent more than six months working with the personal trainer she received for being chosen as Miss Ohio Teen USA.
"We work on posture, poise, grammar and self-confidence," Stevens said. "It's more about how you present yourself than your physical body."
Palm Springs judging
Stevens arrived in Palm Springs on July 29 with her mother, Laurie, and other family members.
A panel of judges is narrowing the field from the original 51 state winners (District of Columbia is included) using interview, swimsuit and evening gown competitions. The top 15 contestants will be announced during Tuesday night's live broadcast after an opening performance involving all contestants.
During the two-hour broadcast, the top 15 will be cut to five. Judges will select the 2003 Miss Teen USA after the final five contestants answer questions onstage.
The results of "Miss Photogenic," an independent online vote, also will be announced during the telecast. Votes may be cast at www.nbc.com.
"Tell everyone there to vote for me," Stevens said.
Stevens said she has been confident during the competition as a result of her preparation. An Ohio representative has placed only once in the pageant's 19-year history.
"I won't have regrets knowing I've given it everything I have," she said. "Even if I don't [become "2003 Miss Teen USA"], I'll walk away with a friend in each state."
Miss Ohio's goals
Bearing the title of 2003 Miss Ohio Teen USA has brought with it a responsibility to serve the community. Stevens has worked to spread awareness of vision-related problems, having struggled to learn to read as a child because of her own vision difficulties.
"She is a really selfless person," said Brittany Smith, 17, of Poland, a friend. "She focuses on the problems of others rather than her own."
Stevens plans to attend college, hopes to continue competing in pageants and has a dream of someday acting in a soap opera.
Wherever her career leads her, though, Stevens said she believes her father will be watching.
"I look at it as I do my best so he'd be proud of me," she said.
mbixenstine@vindy.com