No matter the outcome, Rachel Philippona knows exactly what she wants to eat the day after the Miss USA pageant.
She’s been craving a big cheeseburger with some French fries. And after going down a list of possible desserts, sundae, cheesecake, hot apple pie, she settled on a warm brownie with vanilla ice cream.
“I would be in heaven,” Philippona said.
It was a lighthearted moment for the 19-year-old, the current Miss Alabama USA. These days, the Dothan resident is practically living at the gym, making healthy food choices and working with an interview coach to prepare for the April 19 Miss USA pageant. Philippona leaves Dothan on April 3 for Las Vegas where she will represent Alabama in the pageant.
The winner of Miss USA goes on to compete in Miss Universe.
Never big on pageants as a young girl, Philippona enjoyed being on stage in high school theater and choral productions. But she said she was still shy when it came to people. She entered her first pageant at 16, winning the 2006 Miss Dothan title. She won the essay, interview and evening gown awards. Philippona went on to win first place in the National Peanut Festival pageant. She was later crowned Miss Alabama Forestry.
The experience gave Philippona a confidence she still carries.
She and her mom, Elisa Philippona, spoke of Rachel trying for Miss USA. With her family’s encouragement, Philippona set her sights on the Miss Alabama USA title, even choosing to go to college at Troy University’s Dothan campus to stay close to home after graduating from Northview High School in 2007.
But life took a tragic turn a year ago. Elisa Philippona died suddenly on Jan. 16, 2008, at the age of 41.
“Pageants were always our way to bond,” Rachel Philippona said. “ ... That was our girly thing.”
Philippona went on with her preparations as she thought her mother would want. She said she learned a lot and grew a lot in those months before the November Miss Alabama USA pageant in Birmingham. Philippona said she knows her mother would have been proud of her.
“It was very bittersweet,” Philippona said of winning the crown. “She was the first person I thought of ... She had a very distinct cheer. I could always tell where she was in the crowd.”
But she wasn’t without support. A local committee organized to help Philippona get to the state and national pageants, and many of the members are people who are friends with her or or had known her mother. Committee member Mary Carnes was in Birmingham when Philippona won her Miss Alabama USA crown.
“It was magical ...,” Carnes said during a recent congratulations party held for Philippona. “We knew from the minute she walked on stage that she was going to win.”
While the Miss Alabama USA system designates breast cancer awareness as the pageant’s platform, Philippona said a personal crusade should she win the Miss USA title will be Special Olympics. She worked as a special education aide in high school and volunteered for local Special Olympic games.
“They teach me more than I could ever give back to them,” Philippona said.
Philippona will turn 20 on April 6 while she’s in Las Vegas competing for Miss USA. She hopes she’s a positive role model for girls and other young women. And even if she doesn’t win the crown, she knows she will have given it her all.
“Confidence is a huge thing,” she said. “Nobody’s perfect ... I’ve really learned you never know what’s possible.”
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Who is Rachel Philippona?
2009 Miss Alabama USA
- Age: 19
- Born: Dothan
- Family: Father, Reinier Philippona; mother, the late Elisa Philippona; brother, 16-year-old Alex. Her family heritage is Greek.
- Education: Graduated Northview High School in 2007; Attends Troy University Dothan; Studying biology.
- Career goals: She hopes to get a master’s degree in speech pathology and work with children.
- Hobbies: Travel and cooking.
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