Ocracoke Teen to Compete in State Pageant

“Imagine where it could take you,” the 14-year-old gushes about the upcoming event Nov. 9 and 10 in High Point, Guilford County.  It could take her to the Bahamas for the Miss Teen USA contest if she wins the North Carolina crown, or perhaps modeling, the entertainment industry, or, her big dream which is Harvard University Law School.

“I plan to go to Harvard to be a lawyer,” she says without hesitation. “My dad says I should be a lawyer because I can argue well.”

Spencer, a 10th grader at Ocracoke School, who enjoys English, film and shop class, talks about her plans easily with an adult, smiling frequently, making eye contact, and punctuating her responses with “yes, ma’ams.”  She moved with her family to Ocracoke last October but became interested in the pageant after Brittany York, the 2011 Miss North Carolina USA, visited Mattamuskeet High School last year and spoke to the students.

“She was just so entertaining and outgoing,” Spencer says. “I thought someone like that would be stuck up, but she wasn’t.”

Spencer now counts York as a Facebook friend. “We all have Facebook pages and talk about the pageant,” she says about her fellow competitors. “The most exciting part of it is meeting all these other girls.”

Spencer’s title for the pageant is Miss Teen OBX, although she did not win this title but chose it as part of her application to enter the competition.  The Miss North Carolina Teen USA pageant is the official state preliminary for the Miss Teen USA pageant and is open to young women aged 14 to 19. The 40 to 50 contestants are scored on swimsuit, interview and evening gown. There is no talent competition and full scholarships to two universities are offered to participants and semi-finalists.

Before the main event, Spencer will travel to High Point September 25 for a preview day of information about the November contest and for a practice day of learning how to walk on the runway.

Up to the time of the actual pageant, Spencer is looking for sponsors to help her pay about $650 she owes in order to compete.  She worked at the Back Porch Lunch Box this summer and continues to babysit for islanders and tourists to help with the costs.

Those expenses mostly include clothes and shoes she has to buy for the opening dance number, the swimsuit and evening gown competitions.

She already got her evening gown from Negozio, which also is one of her sponsors.  She is looking for cash sponsors or people and businesses to buy ads in the program book from which she receives a percentage.

“It would be a great way to promote Ocracoke businesses,” she says.

Those interested in helping Spencer should call her for details at 252-542-0983.

Even winning Miss Congeniality would be a home run in her book since that honor is bestowed on the nicest, friendliest young women in the contest.

“Winning Miss Congeniality would be the best,” she says.