MISS CONNECTICUT TEEN USA 2008
Brianne Hiltz
Age: 18
Hometown: Shelton
Where do you attend school, and what are you studying?:
Currently I am a senior at Shelton High School,
where I am studying pre-calculus, Italian, psychology,
and honors English. I am also studying Chemistry
through the University of Connecticut.
What
are your future educational goals?
I plan to go to college, and get my bachelor’s
degree, and go on for my Master’s. At this
time, I really haven’t set in stone exactly
what I would like to do, or what my major will
be;
everything is so interesting to me!
What
is your career ambition?:
My career ambitions are to be successful in
whatever career I choose. I am only 18 years-old
and I
am interested in so many different careers.
I will
just follow wherever my heart leads me and
my education of course!
What
are your hobbies?:
I study voice, piano, and dance. I’ve been
trained classically in voice, and in musical
theatre. For dance I’ve been trained in ballet,
tap, jazz, pointe, modern, and contemporary styles.
I also enjoy running, a lot! Running takes
up a
lot of my time -- I always try to get in
five miles a day. I also, love to pole vault (my
best was
8ft!).
Do
you have any siblings?:
I have two older brothers, so don’t be fooled
by my soft appearance! It was like survival
of the fittest growing up in my house!
What
extracurricular activities do you
enjoy?:
* Shelton Cross Country
* Outdoor and Indoor Track
* Shelton High Drama Club (Vice President)
* Italian club
* Gay Straight Alliance club
* Green Tees Club
Are
you involved in any community service work?:
My sophomore year, I collected used dance
shoes which I distributed to the disadvantaged
children
of several Connecticut cities, and
provided them with free dance lessons.
I run the MADD dash every year, in several locations. Through the
Italian club, I “adopt” a family
every Christmas, raising money to buy presents
and food for a family during the holiday season. I volunteer in cleaning
up our high school’s football field and
the wood trails for our runs (and just for everyone
else to use), and have also volunteered at a
local animal shelter.
Awards/recognition:
I was given the Best Leadership award from
the Center for Creative Youth summer program
of Wesleyan University. I have earned a
varsity
letter
in outdoor and
indoor track for 3 years (so far!).
Name
one personal achievement that makes you especially
proud:
Every year I sing for the Young Musician’s Festival, held
at the Pequot Library in Southport, CT. Last year I sang “Bring
Him Home” from
the musical “Les Miserables”. This song has personal
meaning to me as my brother is currently serving in the United
States Marine Corps, and was
in Iraq at the time. I was told there wasn’t a dry eye in
the house, and this was a personal accomplishment to me because
I realized I had touched the
hearts of the audience with my passion for music and my love for
my brother.
In
what ways are you a role model to your peers?
I am a role model because I am respectful to
my parents and other adults. I’ve
never given into peer-pressure and ever plan to in the future!
What
is your most treasured possession and why?
I don’t have a treasured possession – everything
I own is just stuff. I value my family and the
friends and relationships that I have built throughout
my life.
Interesting
facts about you or your family:
My eldest brother is a Sergeant in the Marin
Corps; my father is a Lt. in the Westport Police
Department. My Mom is, in my
opinion,
the
best
interior designer
in CT. My other brother is in his senior year at Rider University,
and he
is one of the reasons why I wanted to pole vault. He was
a pole vaulter in high
school and college. I love my family very much, they always
stand behind me in every decision I make. They are my back
bone and
I don’t know where I would
be without them.
What
is the most interesting or surprising thing that
has happened to you?
When I was a sophomore in high school, my parents took
me on vacation to Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Originally my oldest
brother,
who is in
the military, was supposed
to come home and go with us. Unfortunately he was not given
leave, and I was devastated. When we landed in Reno, I
was walking through
the terminal,
and
someone came up behind me and gave me a big bear hug. It
was
my brother! He and my parents
had planned to surprise me all along. It was the best surprise
of my life!
If
you could have lunch with one person, who would
it be and why?
I would love to have lunch with William Shatner, because
I love him in all his movies, TV shows and commercials.
He has
survived
generation
after generation,
and reinvented himself, and is as cool today as he was
back in the Star
Trek era. He is my hero!
Favorite way to spend a day:
I love spending the day outside, warm enough to wear
a just a sweater and walk through a park with trails
in the
woods,
spending
time
with either
my parents,
brothers, or my boyfriend (like any typical teenage
girl!). I also enjoy a day of athletic activity,
like biking through
trails
and
then enjoying
a picnic.
Or a perfect snow day and building a snowman and having
a snowball fight! I also
love to ski, so to ski all day would be a dream come
true.
Three
wishes:
Health. Happiness. To love and be loved
Why
did you enter the Miss CT Teen USA Pageant?:
I entered the pageant because I have always
been painfully insecure about the way I look
and being under the scrutiny
of others.
The pageant is
helping me
grow as a person, and overcome these fears.
What
was your first thought when you heard your name
called as the new Miss CT/CT Teen USA:
SHOCK! I thought I was dreaming! I even told
Olga to pinch me…she did!
I never expected this at all. My parents didn’t
even expect it, they thought I might me make
top 15 and that’s it! The butterflies in
my stomach were out of control, I couldn’t
stop shaking with excitement. I know I will never
experience what I felt at that moment
with anything else, it was just too
surreal.
What
are your expectations for the coming year?:
An amazing journey, probably the best opportunity
I could ask for. I’m
expecting to meet amazing girls who share the same ideas
and passions as me at nationals, and make some great
friends.
Brianne
will spend her reign as Miss Connecticut Teen
USA 2008 speaking to various groups
and organizations as a
youth ambassador,
focusing
on self-esteem
issues,
anti-violence and anti-drug campaigns. She
also wants to continue volunteering her time
to assist
many
community
organizations and charities to raise
awareness and funds for their causes. The
Miss Universe Organization, producers of
the MISS UNIVERSE®, MISS USA® and
MISS TEEN USA® Pageants,
is a Donald J. Trump and NBC Universal partnership
For
bookings, interviews or additional information
about Miss Connecticut Teen USA, please
email at Laura@crownproductions.us
or call at
302-221-5587.
