Pageant News Bureau - Miss Teen USA 2001, Page 4

The fun side

With the big competition drawing closer, the fans are getting excited. The staffers and volunteers are rushing to make sure everything is ready. The pageant "experts" are thinking long and hard about their predictions, and hedging their bets.

But are the girls nervous? Yes, maybe a little. But they're also treasuring the moment. Millions of people will experience the Miss Teen USA Pageant as a two-hour extravaganza of beauty. But to these 51 young women, it has been two weeks of friendship and fun. And before it all ends, let's have at least one more laugh.

Photos by Benjamin Gibbs / PNB

Born to win?

When the first Miss Teen USA Pageant was held in 1983, Gloria Almonte was just a few weeks old. But her mother was watching on television, giving the adorable infant a play-by-play. "When Miss New York won, my mother was so excited, and she said to me, 'Maybe someday that will be you!'"

Now, Gloria Almonte of the Bronx is Miss New York Teen USA. And she wants to fulfill her mother's wish.

She believes she's ready. She has been singing, dancing and acting since she was 2. "I do a little modeling on the side," Ms. Almonte says, "but acting is my passion." Her idol is legendary performer Rita Moreno, who has won just about every award possible for singing, dancing and acting. "And she's Puerto Rican, like me."

Another of her role models is actress Vanessa Minnillo, a former Miss Teen USA. And did we tell you about Ms. Almonte's friend Denise Quinones, who is also Puerto Rican, also lives in New York, and happens to be Miss Universe? They first met at the Hispanic Designers Model Search, co-sponsored by JCPenney.

Ms. Almonte has a melodious voice. (It could be partly due to the "vampire teeth" that she says run in her family.) Combine that voice with the naturally musical sound of the Spanish language, and you've got something special. Until you've heard Gloria Almonte say "Rita Moreno," you haven't heard a thing.

Photos courtesy of Miss Universe L.P., LLLP

Sweet hospitality

Katherine Perello is from Texas, and South Padre Island is a favorite vacation spot of hers. So in a way the other girls are her guests, and she's sure they will have an unforgettable time. "They'll get used to the humidity," she says.

She got into the Miss Texas Teen USA Pageant because a friend nagged her for two years.

Katherine Perello likes flying, "but my dad likes to drive everywhere." Photo courtesy of Katherine Perello

Photo courtesy of Miss Universe L.P., LLLP

"I finally said, 'I'll do it to make you happy.'" When Ms. Perello won, there was more than enough happiness to go around.

Her career plans are a little unusual. She wants to be a diagnostician who discovers disabilities in children. There's a personal reason: She had a speech disorder as a child, and went through nine years of treatment.

Today, her speech is perfect, and she has a lot to say. Here are a few examples:.

On modeling: "I did it when I was 12 or 13. They told me to come back when I was 5 feet 7. Now I'm 5 feet 3 and a half, and I'm not growing anymore. So I'm not going back."

On Kandace Krueger: "She's awesome. She didn't get the big head when she won Miss USA."

On friends: "I like to hang out with girls who are not on a diet."

This Texan is fun to be around.

PNB spotted Katherine Perello early, for details, click here.

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