Making her own niche

If you ask Morgan O'Murray about things that have shaped her life, she will mention two immediately. One she's proud of, and the other she would be happy to do without. She's biracial, and she has asthma.

Ms. O'Murray is the daughter of a black father and a white mother. That sort of heritage used to be fairly rare, especially in the West, but "it's getting more common," she says, especially in highly diverse Colorado Springs, where she attends the University of Colorado.

The notion of biracialism has enjoyed a vogue in recent years.

It used to be that a person of mixed race in America was expected to be "one or the other." But more and more young people, like Ms. O'Murray, refuse to make any such choice. They proclaim their dual roots.

One of the people Ms. O'Murray most admires is Chelsi Smith, a former Miss Universe, who is outspoken about being biracial. The young Colorado beauty describes Ms. Smith as a "great role model."

As for the asthma, it's a severe case, but Ms. O'Murray has learned to live with it and control it. The ailment has been a character-builder rather than a stumbling block, and she has more energy than the average non-asthmatic. Miss Teen USA is her third national pageant, and in the fall she will be trying out for the Denver Broncos cheerleaders. She's aiming for a career in entertainment law, with a specialty in intellectual property.

She won Miss Colorado Teen USA on her third try. "First I was second runner-up, then I was first runner-up, then I won." So don't give up, girls.

Power performer

Not so many months ago, Shelby Braxton-Brooks was about as far from the world of beauty contests as one could be. Though she had done some modeling on occasion, "I had never been in a pageant. I didn't know anybody who had."

But she couldn't resist a dare.

When she saw the Miss Teen USA Pageant on television and remarked that she could do something like that, a friend suggested she didn't have the nerve to try. And the rest is history, as they say in the District of Columbia.

If pageants are new to her, being onstage is not. Ms. Braxton-Brooks is a graduate of the Duke Ellington School of Performing Arts. She wants to be actress, a choreographer or a stage director. And even though Teen USA contestants don't have to have a "cause," she has a personal crusade that we applaud. "Bring back the movie musical!" she says with gusto.

In the fall, Ms. Braxton-Brooks will begin classes at Harvard University. It's not the sort of place that one associates with a beauty queen, but she says she has found everyone there to be warm and open.

She has what some people call a power name. Shelby Braxton-Brooks. It's the name of a scholar, a diplomat, or maybe an award-winning choreographer. "It's just an old-time Southern name," she says modestly. But the world will hear it again.

Life is a kick

"I can find something enjoyable in just about anything," says Tracy Hackenmiller. This bubbly Oregonian is finding lots of things to enjoy at the Miss Teen USA Pageant.

She has competed in one other national contest, Miss Teen All American, at age 13. She likes pageants, even though she admits they "can take a lot of your time and energy." At 16, she has plenty of time, and she obviously has a lot of energy.

Sports are a huge part of her life. She has played soccer, volleyball, softball and basketball. As a model, she did a commercial for a sportswear store. And her career goal is to become an athletic trainer.

Soccer is her favorite sport. The recent victory of the U.S. Women's Soccer Team was a special thrill for her. It's her goal to be the physical therapist of that very team, even though it will mean having to leave Bend, the friendly hometown she loves so much. But that's a few years away.

Does she have talent? She's willing to find out. "I can sing if people want me to," she says. "I can dance if that's what they want. I don't know if they'll enjoy it, but I'll give it a try." A girl with heart and a big smile.

Photo courtesy of Miss Universe L.P., LLLP

Step lively

Dianna Carlson is a very good stomper. It has nothing to do with anger, and it certainly has nothing to do with grapes. It's the way she dances.

"I'm a clogger," says Miss Washington Teen USA. Clogging is a sort of group tap dancing done in heavy shoes, sometimes even wooden shoes. It used to be known as "buck dancing," and many people still associate it with country music and Appalachian culture.