Miss United States Teen is Oregon's Crowned jewel
Kari Ann Peniche, the reigning Miss United States Teen, would like to dispel a few misconceptions about beauty queens. "Most of the girls I competed with are beautiful," she says, "but they're also smart, talented and driven." Growing up, Kari Ann was a cheerleader, a model and an athlete before she set her sights on the tiara. "I was the only girl on the boys' varsity soccer team," she says. "One day I came home and announced, 'I'm doing a pageant next week.' My family was shocked." Kari Ann's penchant for diversity means her post-pageant life will revolve around premed classes, singing and acting after she passes the crown in November. "My dad was an entertainer, and I used to go to his sound checks. I always wanted to be a singer. I'm recording a rock CD." Not surprisingly, this too-good-to-be-true winner volunteers with Alzheimer's patients in her spare time. "They have cooler stories than we do," she says. When it comes to guys, she's attracted to those who are as ambitious as she is. "I want a boyfriend to work on his own projects instead of saying, 'Why can't we just hang out?' I'm so focused on my goals." If you haven't seen Kari Ann shaking her pom-poms as a cheerleader in the science fiction flick Species III, or opposite Ray Romano and Burt Reynolds in the comedy Grilled, you're missing out. "In Grilled I play a 'special gift' for someone during a bar mitzvah," she says. And here she is, unwrapped.
"I like hanging out with both guys and girls because they can bring different elements to the table," says Kari Ann. "I am definitely a tomboy, but I am forever a girl. I was always into hiking, rock climbing, biking and other outdoor activities, but I did pageants and cheerleading, too. I can put on high heels and a dress when I need to--or slip out of them for Playboy."
