adminceremony, where hopefuls were quizzed on topics ranging from Penn State’s recent NCAA sanctions to plastic surgery and the Colorado shootings.
A recent Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts graduate, Ms West admitted to being bullied at school and, at 14, started a programme to combat bullying. She named this as her greatest accomplishment.
Speaking to the Record Journal in 2010, after winning the Connecticut Outstanding Teen Pageant, the stunner said she wanted to teach students about the effects of bullying and how to prevent it from happening.
“I was bullied and I wasn’t educated enough to know what to do to stop it from happening,” Ms West told the newspaper.
“I go to schools in Southington and tell the students five steps to stop bullying. I did a lot of research online and talked to people who have studied this. Some of things I found, I made sure that they would work for me.”
The teen, whose idols include late singers Aaliyah and Whitney Houston, plans to major in dance at Pace University in New York later in September and would love to travel with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre.
She also wants to earn a law degree and work as a children’s lawyer specialising in divorce cases.
At the Nassau pageant, the top 16 girls were named early on and were whittled down after showing off their figures in the swimsuit and evening gown competitions.
Ms West, who is the first Miss Teen USA winner in Connecticut’s history, beat Miss West Virginia, Miss Michigan, Miss Oklahoma and Miss Ohio in the final round of the competition. — Daily Mail.
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- Herald
- September 19, 2026
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Heed Global South’s calls: President . . . demands just world order at UN Summit
Wallace Ruzvidzo in NEW YORK CALLS by developing countries and the Global South for a just and equitable world order must be heeded to accelerate progress towards fulfilling the United…
