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| Miss Teen USA 2012 Logan West and Miss USA 2012 Nana Meriwether |
About Miss Teen USA 2012 Logan West:
Raised in Southington, Connecticut, Logan admits to being ruthlessly bullied at school beginning at the age of 12. Accused of not acting “her skin color,” she experienced being punched and kicked and even had an incident where “the bully” and her friends stabbed her with umbrellas on a rainy day while waiting for the bus. For a while, Logan kept quiet until another incident caused her to be suspended from school. Deciding to turn this negative experience into a positive one, she created a program known as “Unite Against Bullies.”
Winning the title of Miss Connecticut Teen USA on October 2, 2011 enabled Logan to continue to spread her message and take her anti-bullying program throughout the state. It is estimated that she has reached nearly 20,000 students. However, Logan didn’t stop there. She learned how to lobby and helped pass Act 211A in her home state, which requires school faculty to be properly trained in how to identify and manage bullying. The bill officially passed in April 2012 and in recognition for her involvement, Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy sent Logan a proclamation.
“Being Miss Teen USA will give me the opportunity to educate students about bullying on a national level and share my story,” says Logan. “It wasn’t always easy, but my parents made sure that I learned how to cope with it and ensure that I didn’t stay introverted. I lost who Logan was when I was being bullied, but I found that participating in pageants helped me find “her” again as well as gain the confidence to be a role model and voice for others. During my reign, I hope to share with teens the importance of being true to yourself. ”
As Miss Teen USA, Logan will serve as a spokeswoman for teen issues. She will continue to reach as many teens with her anti-bullying program and will also travel nationwide as an advocate for organizations such as Best Buddies, Project Sunshine, Girl Talk, and Same Sky Trade Initiative.
A recent graduate of Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts, Logan began to dance at the age of two and cites lyrical dance as her favorite dance form. One of her dreams is to travel with the acclaimed Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
For the next year, she will be living in New York City attending Pace University and fulfilling her duties as Miss Teen USA. Logan is the daughter of Patricia and Michael West and has a younger sister named Sydney. Her hobbies include dancing, cooking, reading and collecting anything turtle-related.
Logan's favorite hobbies include dancing, cooking and reading. She also collects anything turtle-related. She describes herself as articulate, honest and dedicated.
About Miss USA 2012 Nana Meriwether:For Nana Meriwether, being Miss USA is only one in a long list of outstanding accomplishments.
This six-foot beauty from Potomac, Maryland is a two-time, All American athlete; she captained UCLA Volleyball to the Final Four while breaking three NCAA records in the process. She graduated from UCLA with highest honors and a degree in Political Science and went on to complete pre-med studies at USC. In keeping with family tradition, Nana has taken both the MCAT’s and LSAT’s (Dad is a doctor and Mom is a lawyer); she is keeping her options open.
Nana was born in South Africa where she grew up in rural villages while her father was a medical missionary. Her family’s dedication to giving back inspired her to co-found the non-profit Meriwether Foundation six years ago. Since its inception, the foundation has served the most impoverished sectors in five Southern African nations.
Beauty and brains and to top it off, she’s a really nice person, too!
Photos BY: Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images
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