Vanessa Parra Crowned Miss Nebraska Teen Miss

She stood on the stage waiting anxiously.

Wearing a red, floor-length Sherri Hill designer gown with a jeweled top and flowy skirt, her big brown eyes blinked and her mouth dropped open as the winner was announced.

Vanessa Parra of Neligh just won her first pageant.

“When they said my number (402), my mouth dropped open and I was in awe,” she said. “I was really shocked and surprised.”

Parra, a freshman at Neligh-Oakdale, was crowned Princess of America Miss Nebraska Teen Miss in Grand Island on Sunday. She won the 13-15 year-old category in a field of about 24 competitors.

Over the weekend, Parra competed in four areas of competition: interview, personal introduction, formal wear and onstage question. She will advance to the national pageant in Branson, Mo. this July.

“Princess of America’s motto is ‘a crown with a cause’ and it really focuses on community service and growing confidence,” Parra said.

She said she took weekly trips to Lincoln to meet with coaches to prepare for the pageant. This was her fifth pageant competition.

“It was a lot of hard work, but I got to work with my amazing coaches at Springboard,” Parra said.

Her pageant coaches are Robin Gifford and Emerie Jones.

“Focus. Determination. A teachable spirit. Giving + Kind,” Coach Emerie Jones said of Parra. “She has it all, and it all paid off.”

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