Marina High Teen Is State Junior Miss

Evelyn Joy Huang can add one more title to her long list of achievements.

The Huntington Beach teenager was just named California State Junior Miss in a four-day competition that pitted her against 52 other contestants from throughout the state.

Huang, a 17-year-old senior at Marina High School, performed a complicated Rachmaninoff prelude for the talent portion of the contest, held last weekend near Santa Rosa. The title also was based on a judge’s interview, Huang’s scholastic achievement, presence and composure and a fitness segment.

“I am really happy, and pleased at the environment there,” Huang said of her first-ever pageant. “I appreciate that I got to know so many great people and have these great friends now.”

In addition to a $15,000 scholarship, Huang, representing central Orange County, received extra grants for being named the pageant’s top scholar and for a distinguished service award.

Huang, who has a 4.73 weighted grade-point average, works as a literacy volunteer. She is a National Merit nominee, has won several music competitions and has been involved with many school and community groups.

Huang said that during the judge’s interview, she was asked about politics, to define a line-item veto and her opinion on Hillary Rodham Clinton. Her heroes, she said, were Clara Barton and Vivian Leigh.

Huang heard about the scholarship-based pageant during a leadership conference last spring. She decided to compete because the pageant was based on scholarship, rather than beauty, she said.

“It isn’t a typical pageant,” said Huang, who hopes to attend Harvard, Yale or Stanford universities and is considering a career in the ministry.

Southern Orange County’s Junior Miss, Ashley Thomas of Irvine, was named second alternate in the pageant.

Huang will represent California at the America’s Junior Miss National Finals in Mobile, Ala., next June.