High Life : A WEEKLY FORUM FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS : Teen Queens : Contestants Return With Something Just as Valuable as Crown

Jolene Felkner, 15, a sophomore at Esperanza High School in Anaheim, was named Miss Teen California USA this summer and recently represented the state at the national Miss Teen USA pageant in Biloxi, Miss.

Felkner, the youngest contestant to ever reach the finals, has also been named 1990’s Ideal American Teen-Ager, 1989’s Miss American Beauty Teen Queen and 1988’s California Gold Coast Teen.

She kept a diary of her 2 1/2 weeks at the ninth annual Miss Teen USA pageant. Some excerpts:

Sunday, Aug. 4

Arriving in Biloxi, Miss., we are greeted by a Dixieland jazz band and Mardi Gras dancers, and our bus is surrounded by a police escort.

Most of the fellow delegates are fun and energetic. My roommate, Miss New Jersey (Keri Paarz), loses her luggage, and she deals with that better than I would.

After 12 hours of flying, layovers, meetings and greetings, we are ready to hit the sack.

Monday, Aug. 5

We have registration and are being fitted for clothes, shoes and swimsuits. Later this afternoon, we have our photographs taken near the “Friendship Oak”--a tree that is about 4,000 years old and a local monument.

I’m starting to get to know the other delegates, and we are having a great time together. By the way, Keri finally got her luggage.

Wednesday, Aug. 7

More rehearsing. The numbers are coming together, and I think everything is going to look fabulous for the telecast.

Though it’s only the second day, everyone is exhausted. Some girls are napping during lunch break.

Tonight we had a ‘50s party. Aside from the humidity, it was a wonderful evening.

Most of the girls are becoming good friends. It is hard to get used to not being called by my name but only by my state.

Friday, Aug. 9

This has been the greatest day since my arrival: rehearsal was short and the barbecue long. There was great food and our own Air Force escorts. Christian, my escort, is a real nice guy who, by the way, is from California.

I received lots of mail. I got a little homesick, so it was great to hear from my family and friends.

Monday, Aug. 12

This evening is strange. We have dinner at a restaurant in a local mall. People crowded around the windows to watch us eat. For the first time since I’ve been here, I felt as if I were on display in a zoo. I’m very proud to be Miss California, but with all that is happening in the world, I am surprised people think we are so important.

Autograph signing at the mall is fun because the people of Biloxi are great. We also had time to shop--my favorite pastime--and are allowed to take off our banners for a few minutes of anonymity.

Friday, Aug. 16

Today is the competition (a full dress rehearsal, during which semifinalists were selected). Although a little nervous and very excited, I think I did well--at least by my mom’s (Donna Felkner’s) reaction. I’m sure that I performed at my best. The competition is stiff. All I can do is hope and pray that the judges agree with my mom.

Saturday, Aug. 17

It’s time for the interview--my favorite part of the competition. All the judges are great, and I feel I did very well. Most asked me what my forum would be if I am crowned Miss Teen USA. I told them my main concern is with the environment and how I believe all teens can make a difference. I also spoke about being from a single-parent home, about the ups and downs of what’s becoming commonplace in our society.

Monday, Aug. 19

D-Day.

The day goes by quickly. We are in dress rehearsals all day, and it is so nice to look out in the Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum & Convention Center and see my family there. We have a quick dinner at the hotel, and before we know it, we hear emcee Dick Clark say backstage: “Five minutes till show time.”

The opening number, “Summer Fun,” is flawless; then the announcement of the Top 12. I am surprised not to hear my name announced, but everything happens so fast . . . the remaining 39 of us are rushed backstage to get ready for the second production number.

At the Coronation Ball, I am approached by television commentators Leeza Gibbons and Kelly Hu, Miss Teen USA 1985, who both said they had me in their top four picks to win the entire pageant. They invite me to visit them in Los Angeles.

Tuesday, Aug. 20

I’m waiting for my plane in the Memphis airport. The pageant is over, and the crown doesn’t belong to me.

But when all is said and done, the experience is just as valuable as the crown. Those contestants who came with an open mind, to meet new friends and put the outcome in the Lord’s hands, are the girls who went home the richest inside their hearts.

Donna Felkner said her daughter finished 13th in the voting, .006 points from becoming a semifinalist. Miss New Hampshire, Janel Bishop, was named Miss Teen USA.