The "MMM" girl

Morgan Melissa Maholick is proud to say she comes from Greece. Not the country, but the community. It's in upstate New York, part of greater Rochester. Her last name comes from her ancestors in Slovakia, a nation that in the last 10 years has become famous in the modeling industry for its stunning women.

Ms. Maholick will turn 18 just hours after the Miss Teen USA Pageant. She's not sure of the exact significance of that, but she does admit to being "very superstitious."

She would like to be "famous on Broadway," and she has been a performer all through high school. Starting in the fall, she will be studying theater and drama at a college in Pennsylvania. She's also a highly skilled photographer as well as a model.

One dream of hers is to start a theater for the disabled. It may sound like the kind of corny idea one sometimes hears on pageant stages, but it's serious and sincere. 

She has learned a lot about disabilities since her friend and fellow high school performer Evan Cummings was paralyzed in an accident.

Ms. Maholick has been impressed with what disabled people can accomplish, even in the performance arts. She would like the public to see what she has seen.

Is Cummings a big fan of hers? "I'm a big fan of his," she says.

Photo courtesy of Morgan Melissa Maholick

Photos from the scene