By Tori Carter
PNB special events correspondent

"It's all just flying by!" That's how Miss Washington USA, Breann Parriott, described her experience in San Antonio as she prepared for the Miss USA Pageant. She and the other contestants were caught up in a whirlwind of activities, seeing Six Flags, Sea World, La Villita, the Riverwalk and other sites in the richly cultured city.

Regarding the interview competition, she was equally upbeat: "I was having such a good time, it was over before I knew it!" And during the onstage evening gown and swimsuit competitions, she could see her family and friends in the audience and felt very comfortable. Again, the judges were smiling, not glaring and writing.

Feeling privileged even to be at the pageant, Ms. Parriott said she wasn't sure she had made the Top 10. However, she was certain that when she hopped on her flight home, she would be on Cloud 9.

She had something more to take home with her than a good feeling. On pageant night, she was given the coveted Congeniality award. It's coveted because it's bestowed by the contestants themselves. Winning the hearts of 50 pageant contestants is a remarkable feat.

(Editor's note: Ms. Parriott comes from the town of Puyallup. If you've never heard of it before, you don't know how to pronounce it. But the people in town are very congenial, so just ask.)
 

Latin flair

By Tori Carter
PNB special events correspondent

Bienvenido! That's "welcome" in Spanish, according to our bilingual contestant, Susie Castillo, Miss Massachusetts USA 2003. She's a friendly gal who hopes to become an ambassador for her country as the new Miss USA, and represent her country at Miss Universe in Panama this summer. That's where her Spanish could really come in handy.

Ms. Castilllo and her two sisters are first-generation from Puerto Rico, and she's fortunate to have 15 family members with her celebrating in San Antonio. She always tends to feel right at home, as she had an emphasis in hospitality during her degree studies in Architecture/Design from Endicott College in Massachusetts.

Ms. Castillo also feels at home on stage, as she has modeled since age 14. About the only time she has been uncomfortable during this pageant was when she had to endure a large blister on her heel from new shoes. Aside from that, her experience at the pageant has been wonderful. She feels confident about her interview and her modeling performance in her white evening gown by Sheri Hill.

Now it's up to the judges to decide who to welcome as the new queen. Many hope it will be this brunette beauty from the Northeast.