By ADAM SWIFT
Union Leader Correspondent
Newhampshire.com
AUBURN — After Kelsea Campbell of Auburn watched her older sister compete in the Miss Teen New Hampshire pageant in 2007, she was hooked. “I fell in love with the pageant,” said Campbell, 18. Over the next five years, Campbell prepared to compete in the pageant herself, and last November, those years of preparation paid off.
Competing in her first pageant, Campbell was crowned Miss Teen New Hampshire 2013 and will now go on to compete in the Miss Teen USA competition at the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas on Aug. 9 and 10. Although she did not compete in any pageants prior to last November, Campbell said the maturing process over the past several years gave her the maturity she needed to win the crown. “It was important to mature and develop a voice in what I was passionate about,” said Campbell, who graduated from Manchester Central High School in the spring.
As part of the competition process, pageant participants need to have a platform they are passionate about. For Campbell, her platform of Alzheimer’s Disease research was inspired by her grandparents. One of the highlights of Campbell’s time as Miss Teen New Hampshire has been her interaction with young people. “With the events I do, I love to see their faces when I walk into the room with the crown,” she said. “They look up to that and I like to be a positive influence in their lives.”
Campbell said her plans for the fall are still up in the air depending on how she does in the national competition next month. Eventually, she said she would like to go to law school in Boston. For the time being, when she is not preparing for Miss Teen USA, Campbell said she can be found out on the links working on her golf game. “My friends are so excited and are offering their support,” she said. “I couldn’t ask for better friends and family.” In addition to her older sister, Campbell has an older brother and twin 10-year-old sisters.
At Manchester Central, she was a varsity cheerleader for four years and competed in the hurdles and high jump on the track team and was an active member of the school’s Key Club. During her time as Miss Teen New Hampshire, Campbell said she has been proud to represent the people of New Hampshire and is hoping the people of the state show their support for her.
Vote for Miss Teen USA at missuniverse.com/missteenusa. The competitor with the most votes automatically makes it into the semifinal round of 15. The Miss Teen USA pageant is no longer on TV, but it will stream live at missuniverse.com/missteenusa on Aug. 9 and 10.
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