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Gaining talent, gaining self-worth. That's the message 15-year-old Tasha Smedley, a sophomore at Clearfield High School, wants to spread to the world.
Tasha, Utah's reigning Miss Outstanding Teen, has spent the past year promoting her platform of encouraging teens to embrace their uniqueness. She has spent the past week in Orlando, Fla., competing for a chance to take her platform to the national level.
She believes everyone has something unique about them, and physical beauty is only a small portion of who they are.
"I want to encourage every teen to find their talent, whatever it may be, and use it to build your self-worth, and your future," Tasha said.
Her passion for inspiring others helped her win the title of Utah's Miss Outstanding Teen, a relatively new competition sponsored by the Miss America Pageant. The competition, in its second year, features contestants between the ages of 13 and 17. They are judged not only on their physical appearances and talents, but also on their communication skills, community service and academic achievements.
Tasha, a resident of Syracuse, donates her time at the Boys and Girls Club of Weber County, and teaches hip-hop dance. She has also performed benefit dance concerts at the Rose Wagner Theatre, with proceeds being donated to the Shriner's Hospital. She said spending time with the children at the Boys and Girls Club was a little different at first, but now she loves teaching the kids dance moves.
"The Boys and Girls Club was a little different because I've never been in a place where kids didn't have all that they need. But they love to dance, and it's fun to watch them learn to express themselves through movement," said Tasha.
Of all the community service she has done, she said one of the most memorable is her queen-for-a-day program, in which she meets with groups of mentally challenged women and speaks with them about the beauty that is inside.
"Sometimes it's nice to look pretty and feel pretty," she said. "I take crowns and trophies for each of the women, and we spend time talking about the beauty inside, then spend a little time looking pretty on the outside."
According to Tasha's father, Clair Smedley, being Utah's Miss Outstanding Teen has not changed his daughter's attitude toward helping others, although it does take a lot of her time.
"Tasha's pretty down-to-earth. She enjoys hanging out with her friends and dancing," said Clair Smedley.
Tasha has been dancing for 10 years and specializes in lyrical dance, which she performed as her talent at the local level of the Outstanding Teen competition, held in Syracuse last year.
The Miss America Outstanding Teen competition takes place this week and will be televised on cable TV on Saturday. Tasha will compete against 51 other teens from across the United States.
She plans to study elementary education in college. She's a member of the National Honor Society and the recipient of numerous academic awards, including the Presidential Outstanding Academic Achievement Award and the Excellence in English Award. She is also on the cheer squad at Clearfield High and will continue to pursue her love of dance.