This year’s Miss Orchards USA, Angelina Kayyalaynen, is no stranger to competing at the national pageant level. In 2008, she represented Washington at the National American Miss Pageant and finished in the top 10.
Kayyalaynen was crowned 2011 Miss Washington USA this month. Her previous experience should serve her well next spring when she competes for the Miss USA title. If she wins, Kayyalaynen will go on to compete for the international Miss Universe title.
She’s excited about the prospect of meeting Donald Trump, since the Miss Universe Organization is a joint partnership between the mogul and NBC.
“There are not a lot of people who get that chance,” Kayyalaynen said. “He’s one of the most successful businessmen in the United States.”
Kayyalaynen had been wanting to compete in Miss Universe Organization pageants for several years, but the Ukraine native had to wait until she was a U.S. citizen.
Kayyalaynen moved to Vancouver from Ukraine eight years ago. She is a 2007 Heritage High School graduate, a Clark College alumna and a junior at Washington State University Vancouver, where she is studying psychology.
Kayyalaynen turns 21 this month, so winning the Miss Washington USA title couldn’t have come at a better time.
“This is my early birthday present to myself,” she said.
Camas man face of character in Kingsbury book series
When best-selling Christian author Karen Kingsbury launched an online contest to find the face for a character in her new series, she received more than 150 entries from across the country. But the Vancouver novelist didn’t have to look far to find the ideal person to portray Cody Coleman on at least one cover in the four-part Bailey Flanigan series.
Kingsbury and her team selected Solomon Rexius, a 25-year-old Eugene, Ore., native who is living in Camas while he attends Western Seminary in Portland.
Rexius was nominated by his girlfriend and was selected for embodying the characteristics of Coleman, a secondary character in Kingsbury’s Above the Line series. He and Bailey Flanigan, inspired by Kingsbury’s daughter, Kelsey Russell, are the focus of the new series, which launches March 22 with “Leaving.”
Coleman traveled to Chicago in late summer for a photo shoot for the cover of “Learning,” the second book in the series. The book is set for a June release. Coleman also appeared on Kingsbury’s recent webcast, where he was introduced as the contest winner.
“It was really fun,” he said. “I had never done anything like that.”
Since the webcast he has received a lot of Facebook friend requests and e-mail from Kingsbury fans wanting to connect with the face of a beloved character.
Rexius is excited about the opportunity to gain exposure for Caleb and Sol, the Christian band he and his twin brother, Caleb Rexius, front. But even more, he’s eager to be a role model.
“I just see it as a good opportunity to live my life in a good, Christlike way and to be able to show people what a good man is like,” he said.
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