Television personality and AZfoothills.com columnist Nadine Toren is scouring the area, finding savvy Valley features, bringing readers “on the scene.” Every day she’ll introduce you to celebrities, athletes, and give you an inside look into local events and hot spots. She'll touch on topical issues, and keep AZ fans posted on all the big talkers around town.

Here she is: our hometown beauty queen!  Check out what Miss Arizona 2011 is saying about the big pageant...and what she looks for in a man. 

Imagine having two U-Haul truck-loads full of the most fabulous gowns galore…plus a handful of fun bikinis.  That’s what Chandler’s Jennifer Sedler brought to Sin City’s Planet Hollywood to take part in the Miss America Pageant on Saturday, January 14^th.

Meet the beautifully poised Jennifer Sedler, the Valley’s own 20-year old Miss Arizona 2011.  She currently secured a top-5 spot in the nationally televised compeition—a score sure worth being proud of. 

“Every time I looked out to the crowd, I just stood smiling in complete disbelief. It was a mix of adrenaline; from excitement and nervousness, and a complete calm in knowing what an incredible moment it was.”

I got the chance to interview Sedler on our local CBS-5 morning show and for this article; take it from me, this lovely lady is wonderful woman.  Despite her young age, Sedler is composed and confident; yet humble and gracious.  She has her head on straight, determined to graduate from the University of Arizona with honors, then attend Stanford to become a pediatric oncologist.  But for now, she’s soaking up the well-deserved overwhelming excitement of wearing a jeweled crown.

“Hearing my name called after each phase of the competition is a hard feeling to describe. My heart raced every time I heard the names of other states, and when I finally heard ‘Arizona,’ it was overwhelming!”

Sedler is no Toddlers and Tiaras gal; in fact, she entered her first pageant only two years ago.  As a young girl, Sedler was a competitive dancer, and ultimately saw pageants as a good opportunity to exercise her natural talents while earning scholarship money for college.

“The Miss America Organization combines my passions of academic success, dance, public speaking, philanthropy, and leadership. It is the largest provider of scholarship money for women in the world, and through it, I have had the ability to open so many doors that I wouldn't be able to otherwise.”

Sedler gave us the inside scoop of what happened backstage during the Miss America Pageant in Las Vegas.  As glamorous as it seems, being a beauty queen is evidently quite demanding. Sedler says the show was completely chaotic; the five minutes before it started were the longest of her life, but once the curtain opened, things became surreal. 

“I was constantly running back and forth between the changing tent and theater, waiting anxiously (and praying) to hear my name called, and competing in all the varying areas.”

Sedler says each girl in the top 15 were assigned a hostess to help them change, so luckily she had some welcomed assistance.  (You try zipping, un-zipping, strapping, buckling, and clasping jewelry in record time!)  They only had about two minutes between outfit changes.

“So many times we'd run on stage without our shoes on, stand in front of the audience, and finish getting dressed before commercial break was over.”

As for strutting her stuff in a bare bikini and stilettos; well, our hometown girl just brushes off all nerves.  Sedler says it’s all about confidence and being comfortable in your own skin.  (Besides, she just didn’t think about the 8-million people watching on TV; instead, focused on the mere 7,000 people in the crowd.)

She also prepared to look A-list, practicing an “eat clean” diet.  She stays so slim filling up on proteins and veggies--Midwestern Meats Fitness kept her up-to-speed on nutritional knowledge.  (She was also sponsored by Scott's Training Systems; those exercise sessions surely paid off.)

As for when she’s not on the runway, Sedler loves writing poetry, music, and hanging out with family friends.  And FYI, she’s on the market, but keeps her standards high.  She’s interested in ambitious, supportive, and intelligent eligible bachelors.

But don’t get ahead of yourself.  Right now, Sedler’s days are booked being Miss Arizona 2011.  Not a bad title for such a an up-and-coming young woman.

“I am where I am not because of what I have done; rather, because of what God has blessed me with: my family and friends. There's no way I could possibly forget how lucky I am.”

For more on Jennifer Sedler, visit:
miss-arizona.org
Facebook.com/miss.arizona.america
Twitter: @miss_az

www.facebook.com/onthescenewithnadine