Misses and Hits

There have been some big name Junior Misses over the years, including Diane Sawyer, Kathie Lee Gifford and Kim Basinger. Twelve local high school juniors hope to join these ranks when they compete Sunday for the title of Orange County Junior Miss.

The young woman selected to represent the county will participate in the state program in August. That winner will compete in the national program in June ’99 in Mobile, Ala., where it all began 40 years ago.

Organizers say the program’s goal is the same today: to reward excellence with education. Winners at each level share more than $5 million in scholarships.

Girls are judged on scholastic achievement (20%), interview (25%), presence and composure (15%), creative and performing arts (25%) and fitness (15%).

Evelyn Huang of Huntington Beach won the county and state titles last year and will compete in June for the national title. To become California’s Junior Miss, Huang performed a Rachmaninoff prelude for the talent portion. The Marina High School senior received a $15,000 scholarship. She also took home an award for being a top scholar (she had a 4.73 weighted grade-point average as a junior).

The public is invited to cheer the teens on at the free county program, which begins at 5 p.m. Sunday at Los Alamitos High School, 3591 Cerritos Blvd.

For information on volunteering or participating in the Orange County Junior Miss Program, call Elaine Deslatte at (949) 857-4867 or visit the Web site at https://www.ajm.org/california.