When Amanda Merkle '03 first spoke to her roommate over the phone, she told her that she played the clarinet, was the captain of her high school volleyball team, and partook in several community service activities.
What she never mentioned that the summer of 1998, Merkle was crowned Miss Teen of Washington.
"It's not something that I consider part of who I am," she said. "It's something that kind of came about because of other things that I do."
Merkle had never considered adding "pageant participant" to her list of extracurricular achievements until her junior year, when a teacher handed her an envelope containing an application for the Ms. Teen of America Scholarship and Recognition Program.
At first, Merkle said she wasn't interested, but her mother helped her see the opportunity in a new light.
"My mom thought it would be a good experience for me to learn how to present myself positively and to interact with other girls," she said.
Weeks after sending in the application, Merkle received an invitation from the Ms. Teen of America Scholarship and Recognition Program to attend their state competition along with 74 other girls, chosen from an applicant pool of 1,000.
The competition itself is unlike those broadcast on television. It had no bathing suit competition and was focused more scholastic achievement, service to one's community and school, and various talents and skills.
One of the more unique aspects of the pageant was its "General Awareness Test," a written examination in which contestants are quizzed on current events as well problems involving simple common sense, such as "What time of day is it best to buy shoes?"
The competition was also comprised of more traditional elements, including an interview with a judge as well as an event known as "Personality, Projection, and Formal Wear," in which the contestants model evening wear.
"I was there for the fun of it," she said. "I wasn't there with competing in mind."
After winning the Miss Teen of Washington crown, Merkle moved onto the regional competition with winners from several other states.
Again, Merkle emerged victorious and moved on to the national competition in Minneapolis, Minn.
"I came into Nationals not wanting to win," Merkle said, because winning would force her to give up her other pursuits in order to fulfill the duties of Miss Teen of America. Miss Teen of Texas won the national competition.
Being Miss Teen of Washington does have its drawbacks, Merkle said. She usually avoids telling people of her achievement right away in order to avoid being associated with snobbery, conceitedness, and lack of intelligence -- characteristics often unjustly bestowed on pageant winners, she said.
Despite her positive pageant experience, Merkle does not plan on pursuing any more competitions of that nature.
While attending high school in Mercer Island, Wash., Merkle actively participated in serving her community through the Girl Scouts of America and Emerald City Outreach Ministries.
Merkle considers the latter activity -- a program in which students tutor children in economically disadvantaged areas of Seattle -- to be her most rewarding experience to date.
In addition to playing volleyball and being a member of her school's National Honor Society, wind ensemble and marching band, Merkle also managed to uphold a grade point average that put her at the top of the class.
Merkle is now busy as a freshman at the College, a school she chose because of, among other things, its community-like atmosphere and because, quite simply, "it felt like the right place to be."
Merkle is currently an outside hitter on the girls' volleyball team and plans to pursue other activities, such as community service, after the season ends.
