Pageant News Bureau - Miss USA 2003

Better than Liz Taylor

"Nafeesa Leilani De Florias" is an extraordinarily lovely name, and we couldn't help asking Miss Arizona USA about it. She was starting to explain. "The first name is Egyptian, and . . ." We almost stopped her right there. Suddenly we realized why she looked so familiar.

Long ago -- in a gallery or in a book -- we had seen a color portrait of Cleopatra. Maybe it was painted purely from imagination, but it bore a stunning resemblance to Ms. DeFlorias, even though this 21st-century beauty queen considers herself more Hispanic than anything else.

All photos courtesy of Miss Universe L.P., LLLP

She does look positively regal, yes? Like she was born to be queen. But she's not haughty or distant like some absolute monarchs we know. She's down-to-earth and funny. "I'm a little bit klutzy," she confided to a PNB reporter. "I just hope I don't fall off the stage."

Ms. De Florias' road to pageant glory began with an ultimatum. She and another young woman were watching the Miss USA Pageant on TV. "I was going on and on about what kind of woman ought to win. She finally said, 'Call the number on the screen or be quiet!' " Ms. De Floria called the number -- and kept talking.

She once briefly tried her hand at show business in L.A. She liked it, and may go back again. But she prefers her home state of Arizona, one of the warmest places in America. "The weather is easy to predict," she said. "It's hot today, and it will be hotter tomorrow."

That could be a description of her career.

Another wholesome treat

Jennifer Ripley, Miss Vermont USA 2003, is not related to the guy who started "Ripley's Believe It or Not." But she is related to the Jennifer Ripley who was Miss Vermont Teen USA 1999. In fact, she's the same girl. Believe it!

The same girl, but even more gorgeous. Back in 1999, she was a high school student, planning to be a doctor. Now she's a savvy, sexy coed studying for a career in teaching. In her spare time, she's into modeling. She doesn't do a lot of it, she says, "but it's a lot for Vermont," which is small and still mostly rural.

All photos courtesy of Miss Universe L.P., LLLP

Vermont is famous for its rich but wholesome treats -- ice cream, cheese and maple syrup -- and for its beautiful countryside. "There are four seasons here," Ms. Ripley reminded us, and the mountains change color for each one: bright green in spring; a dark blue-green in summer; red and yellow in the fall; deep white in winter. It's scenery that's made for a calendar.

With a well-known mascot

Ms. Ripley -- who looks made for a calendar herself -- has come to appreciate her home state more over the years. As a teenager, she planned to attend college in Hawaii and perhaps even live there. But she wound up choosing the University of Vermont, barely an hour from home. She likes water-skiing and snowboarding, and you can't do both in the tropics. She still says, "I may go away for a while," but there's a good chance she will be a Vermonter all her life.

Even if she stays in New England, she can occasionally slip off to someplace more comfortable. During a recent trip to Florida, "to see Little Miss Citrus and Little Mister Citrus," she wound up in the middle of a pageant documentary filmed by "Entertainment Tonight."

Exactly 100 years before Jennifer Ripley was born, Vermont native Chester Alan Arthur was occupying the White House. If that's an omen, it means she could become either Miss USA or president of the United States. Well, first things first.

Getting roping tips on a mechanical horse

Her middle name is Kim

Judith Eckerle is a medical student, planning to become a pediatrician and someday run her own clinic. And oddly enough, that's why she's a model and a beauty queen.

"Medical school is so serious, you have to have something you enjoy," she told PNB. "I got into pageants for fun." Winning Miss Wisconsin USA was kind of an added bonus.

Some pageant contestants focus on nothing but the title they want. Ms. Eckerle is different.

She's determined to become Miss USA, of course, but she's also on a bigger quest: finding her birth parents.

She lives in Wisconsin, and she spent most of her childhood in Minnesota. But the relatives she's seeking probably live far from America's dairy states, because she was born in Seoul, South Korea.

As far as she has been able to learn, she was born on Aug. 18, 1976, near what would become the site of the 1988 Olympics. After a few months, she was adopted by her American parents.

All photos courtesy of Miss Universe L.P., LLLP

Since she grew up, she has visited South Korea several times, determined to solve the mystery of her origins. Sometimes she thinks she's very close, but she's not there yet.

History tells us that she came into the world during a time of crisis. On Aug. 17, 1976, ax murders on the demilitarized zone with North Korea had threatened to plunge the whole region into war. Perhaps that's why her birth parents chose to part with her. Who can say?

We think she'll find her Korean relatives someday. And we think they'll be very proud. And won't they be really surprised if she's Miss USA?

Sign on the dotted line

Everybody has a practical side and a daring side. In Rachael Ribeck, both sides are very strong.

First, the practical side. She's a university graduate and a mortgage banking account manager.

Sailing with her dad

She's responsible for handling millions of dollars in financial transactions. When PNB asked her if she's well organized, she said, "That's an understatement," and she started telling us how much she enjoys her Palm Pilot.

Photo courtesy of Miss New Hampshire USA

Then there's the daring side. Ms. Ribek loves being an entertainer. She has been dancing since she was 3 years old, and she was a high school cheerleader. She has auditioned to perform on a cruise line.

She got into pageants "on a whim," drifted out, then drifted back in, then wound up being crowned Miss New Hampshire USA.

New Hampshire is known as the Granite State, a place of sober Yankee sensibilities. But its mountains have some of the wildest, most unpredictable weather in America. It's almost as if these contrasting qualities of her home state are dueling over the lovely Rachael Ribeck.

In the Big Apple

Will she stay in the solid business of banking, or will she let the wild winds take her into the more exciting world of entertainment?

We can only say this: The Miss USA Pageant is not known for creating bankers.

Other photos courtesy of Rachel Ribeck