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Nebraska Teen, Jordan Somer, has "amazing" plans to make a difference, and the news is taking notice

NAM, California,  Miss Amazing Pageant, National American Miss, papillion, miss nebraska,  central high school, Key Club, Diversity Club, nebraska, Stephen Center, Siena- Francis House, pageants in Nebraska, Omaha

Teen pageant winner has ‘amazing' plans

By Melissa Anderson
Times Staff Writer
Papillion times

Jordan Somer has been involved in beauty pageants for nine years, winning titles at the ages of 12 and 13.

Now the 16-year-old Papillion resident has again won a title, the 2010 National American Miss Nebraska Teen, and will be heading to nationals in Anaheim, Calif., in November.

More than 100 contestants competed in the 2010 National American Miss Pageant held on July 3 and 4 at a Holiday Inn in Omaha. Somer will represent the state at nationals and have a chance to win more than $500,000 in cash and prizes.

The National American Miss Pageants are based on inner beauty, as well as poise and presentation, according to a news release from the organization. The program awards cash, scholarships and prizes to recognize and assist the development of young women nationwide.

The National American Miss Pageant consists of four main competitions: formal wear, personal introduction, interview and community involvement. There also are various optional contests, including casual wear modeling, photogenic and spokesmodel. Somer won the casual wear and photogenic competitions.

Aomer said the introduction competition was the most difficult part of the pageant because she was the third-to-last person to speak and had already waited through the preteen and junior divisions.

“I was just sitting there, getting antsy,” she said. “It's listening to a bunch of people who are really nervous and that's exactly what you're going to do. … So you just have to sit there and psych yourself out.”

The easiest part of the competition was the formal wear, Somer said.

Somer said she started doing pageants “just for fun” and has participated in American Coed, National American Miss, America's National Teenager and Miss America's Outstanding Teen pageants.

“I was never one of those girls who was in pageants every month,” she said. “It was just something I did for fun to meet friends.”

In 2006, at the age of 12, Somer tried out for America's National Teenager and won the state title. The next year she won National American Miss Junior Teen, and said she gained confidence, calmed down and remembered to just be herself while competing.

“You kind of just get caught up in everything that you have to do … when in actuality pageants are about finding what your biggest potential is,” she said.

And Somer has done just that.

At the 2007 National American Miss Pageant, she won the Golden Achievement and Service Award for her own event, the Miss Amazing Pageant. After becoming involved with the special needs community and pageants, she created the first Miss Amazing Pageant in 2007 for women ages 10 to 30 with disabilities.

During the first two years of the pageant, there were 15 Miss Amazing participants. Last year it doubled to 30. Somer is hoping the number continues to rise.

Now Somer has been running the Miss Amazing Pageant for four years and hopes, with the help of National American Miss, she will be able to expand it.

“I really want to keep it going for the rest of my life no matter where I live,” she said.

The only duty she has through National American Miss is to go to nationals and return for the state pageant, but Somer plans on doing much more than that.

“It really kind of frustrates me when people go to nationals and consider their year over after that when in actuality there's so much more that you can do,” she said.

Besides being involved with pageants and the Miss Amazing Pageant, Somer has continued to stay involved in other areas of the community.

As president of the Diversity Club and secretary of the Key Club, the Omaha Central High School senior has taken both clubs to volunteer at the food bank. She also donates items throughout the year to the Siena-Francis House and, along with her family, donates to the Stephen Center in south Omaha.

At nationals, Somer said she is looking forward to hanging out with her other Nebraska queens and representing Nebraska. She said she is also glad to be going again because she regrets not trying her hardest at nationals during her junior teen year.

“I was just ecstatic to be there. … Now I want to go there and I really want to put my best foot forward,” Somer said.