Hawaiian Wins Miss America Pageant

A T L A N T IC  C I T Y, N.J., Oct. 15 -- Miss Hawaii Angela Perez Baraquio, anelementary school gym teacher, was crowned Miss America 2001 onSaturday night. The 24-year-old said she plans to promote charactereducation during her yearlong reign.

Baraquio gasped when co-host Donny Osmond announced her name,and then hugged first runner-up Miss Louisiana Faith Jenkins beforeducking down to receive the crown and begin the traditional runwaywalk.

Miss California Rita Ng, the first Asian-American woman to winthat state’s title, was second runner-up, followed by MissMississippi Christy May and Miss Kentucky Whitney Boyles.

“I’m standing in the top five and I’m thinking ‘How do theypick from 51 awesome, amazing, phenomenal wonderful girls who’vebecome my best friends over the past three weeks?’” a breathlessBaraquio said after the crowning. “I’m very honored and veryhumbled.”

Prayed Throughout Competition

A devout Catholic, she said she prayed before each part of thecompetition. “I’m not one to wear my faith on my sleeve. What I dois, I try to live it,” she said.

Along with the crown, Baraquio won a $50,000 scholarship.

In addition to teaching at a Catholic elementary school inHonolulu, Baraquio is the school’s athletic director and coachesbasketball, volleyball and track. She said she wants to obtain amaster’s degree in educational foundations and eventually become aschool administrator.

Baraquio grew up with nine siblings in Hawaii, plays keyboardfor an all-girl rock group called High Tide and did a hula dancefor the talent competition.

Among the other contestants in the 80th annual pageant thatended Saturday was Miss Iowa Theresa Uchytil, 24, who learned howto twirl the baton despite being born with only one hand, andJenkins, 24, a Louisiana law student who got involved in literacyvolunteer work because her mother didn’t know how to read.

For the first time, the panel of celebrity judges also includedthe winner of an Instant Celebrity Judge sweepstakes. MelanieBrock, a 46-year-old marketing executive from Lansing, Mich., waschosen from among 70,000 entries, and joined Olympic gold medalistLenny Krayzelburg on the judging panel.