Farewell Houston

What an amazing year it has been! And how fast it has gone by! In just four short days, there will be a new Teen Houston. Although I am sad to say goodbye, I am so excited for the girl who will become the next Teen Houston. A wonderful experience awaits her filled with meeting nexw people and learning about herself and the world around her. I hope it brings her the joy and confidence it has brought me.

Before I say goodbye, I must thank the many people who have been so supportive of me this past year:

• My family! - I must begin with my my parents who encourage me and allow me to pursue my dreams, my little sister who is also my Lone Star Princess and an all-around trooper and my Nini who inspires me!


• Sponsors - So many people work hard to contribute to the Miss Houston Organization. From gifts by Sakowitz Furs to the photography of Evin Thayer, LabLArts and Mark Matthews. From the skills of Maxwello Dental to the styling of Muzzie's and Wardrobe: The Boutique. And the artistic vision of Matthew Abraham and Morgan Harrel - hair and makeup is an art form! Thank you all so much for your help this past year!!!


• Sister Queens - With the largest delegation in Texas, our seven queens became very close. Teens Kate, Rachel and Taylor are always a blast and our gorgeous miss queens Candice, Ruthie and Rachel are perfect role models. Special thanks go to Candice Bennatt, my Miss Houston. She is like my sister (and always will be) even if I don't always lister to her. :-)


• And finally, Sheila Milner - My director knows exactly what to say and when to motivate me and I appreciate her knowledge and compassion. She has made this year so memorable for me. The words "Thank You" just don't express how much I have appreciated her. She is awesome!

This is my final post as Miss Teen Houston 2010. It has been an honor and a privilege, but now I must say farewell.

Signing off for now, I am Katerina Pasat.

Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!

Time Flies!

It has been a long time since my last post but so much has happened. Right after the state pageant, my family traveled to Pennsylvania for vacation and family reunion. I got to go horseback riding, ride an Alpine Sled, watch the Houston Astros beat the Pittsburgh Pirates and ride roller coasters! Plus I spent quality time with my family!!!!

In the beginning of August, high school marching band camp began and I was at school every day for color guard. It's hard work, especially in the August heat, but so much fun. Our band did well this year and made it to the state finals in San Antonio. We came in 22nd!!!! Trust me, this is great.

Now that marching band season has ended, I'm beginning winterguard...and pageant season! I attended the Miss/Teen Cypress pageant last month and watched the lovely Elizabeth Gardner take the title of Miss Cypress and the extremely talented young Adrianna Banzhof become Miss Teen Cypress. I am looking forward to attending more of the prelims coming up!

Teen Texas Pageant!!!

I spent the last week in Arlington for the Miss Texas/Miss Teen Texas Pageant. What an experience! I have never been surrounded by so many amazing ladies, or survived on such little sleep! From rehearsals to preliminaries, backstage rush to dinner trips, it was truly an honor to be there.

One of the bonuses of this pageant was that it was the 75th anniversary of Miss Texas. Former queens from as far back as 1948 returned to the stage. Even two former Texan Miss Americas, Phyllis George and Shirley Cothran came back for the family reunion. It was very impressive to see how the Miss Texas and Miss America programs had changed their lives!

There were three preliminary pageant nights plus interview day where each contestant in both the Miss and Teen groups would compete in one event. For the teens that was Interview, Fitness, Talent, Evening Gown and Onstage Question. On the finals night on July 2nd, the top 10 contestants were called in both groups to compete again in their events. As we waited for each name to be called, I was stunned when they called out "Teen Houston" to the Top 10! I was so excited and I could hear my family screaming. After it was all over, I had placed 8th overall and received the alpha award for new contestants. I could not have asked for a better experience that will be cherished forever!

A huge congratulations go out to the new Miss Teen Texas, Madison Fuller. She is so gracious and talented and I know will represent Texas as a positive role model. And also congratulations to Ashley Melnick, our new Miss Texas who will be heading to Las Vegas for the Miss America Pageant. Go Texas!!!!!!

As for me, I will continue to be Miss Teen Houston for the next several months, making appearances and doing community service. Thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout this experience. From my parents, to my grandmother, to my Lone Star Princesses Alison and Victoria, my sister queen Candice Bennatt and director, Sheila Milner and also the amazing Matthew Abraham and Morgan who made me look so pretty. It is truly appreciated!!!!!

Teen Excellence Awards

May has been a busy month! Getting ready for the end of school (and final exams!) and final preparations for the Miss Texas/Miss Teen Texas pageant next month. I also had a week's worth of tryouts for color guard at school. I was excited to make the squad again this year because it is so much fun!

One of the best appearances so far this month was the Teen Excellence Awards held in Clear Lake by Solutions for Teen Life. The event honored the at-risk teens who had recently completed their year-long mentoring program. I was extremely impressed by their accomplishments and was so happy to see their success.

Lone Star Princess Party

I attended a PJ Party for Texas Lone Star Princesses. The party was organized by one of the LSP moms, Heather Terpstra, as a way for the girls to meet before they get to Arlington in June. There were girls from several delegations including Houston, Harris County, Sugar Land, White Rock Lake and more. Through the evening, there was dancing, making flip flops and buttons and eating lots of pizza and cupcakes. These girls are adorable and I can't wait to see them again. A special shout out goes to my LSP's, Alison McClelland and Victoria Pasat. I love you!!!!!

Special Olympics

Today I attended the Special Olympics competition in Houston. This was truly a memorable experience and I can't wait to do it again. The athletes were talented, enthusiastic and very supportive of each other. Their joy was contagious as medals were handed out for their hard work in track and field events. There were so many dedicated volunteers who worked hard to organize a fun event for the athletes with not only sports but an athlete village with dancing, karaoke, awards, food and more. This program is so important and I was overwhelmed by how many volunteers came out to support the event, including many queens and Lone Star Princesses. The only bad thing was that my sister was not feeling well and could not join me. A huge thank you to Duc Nguyen for allowing me to be a part of it!

NAMI Walk Houston

I met up with Megan Clark, Miss Great Plains, in downtown Houston to take part in the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) walk. NAMI is an organization devoted to mental health awareness and advocacy. Since my platform concerns youth mental health awareness, I really wanted to participate in this event. Before the walk began, we were given the chance to speak to the group on why we were there and then we were allowed to cut the starting ribbon. It was a hot and humid Houston morning but Megan and I walked the three miles and worked up a nice sweat. Along the way we met some wonderful volunteers and walkers. The team from Gallery Furniture carried Capuchin monkeys that were adorable. We also walked along with Channel 13 news anchor, Sharron Melton, who is a former Miss New Mexico! I encourage everyone to take part in a NAMI walk if one is organized in your city!