Being green as a beauty queen

Her friend said she doesn’t sleep.

Sixteen-year-old Monica Stainer will admit she doesn’t get a lot of sleep, but she said she is OK with it.

“I’m a very high-energy person,” she said.

The Edison High School junior said she loves to see what each day will bring, and that each day brings a lot. Monica, a song leader on the varsity cheer team, is the junior class representative for the Associated Student Body and is taking seven honors and advanced placement classes.

Monica was also crowned Miss California’s Outstanding Teen for 2009 and spends some of her weekends traveling the state with Miss California.

“It’s a pretty busy schedule, but I love everything I do,” Monica said.

All the extra curricular activities might have taken a toll on most 16-year-olds, but Monica’s friend said she is downright perky.

“She always has a smile on her face,” said Jacy Barney, the varsity song coach.

Kristie Sharafkhanian, a friend and the varsity song captain, said she always has a positive attitude, but Monica is also hardworking.

“She actually sets a really good role model for our team,” Sharafkhanian said.

A good role model is exactly what Miss California’s Outstanding Teen should be. The scholarship pageant is for girls 13 to 17 years old and is part of the Miss America pageants. The girls are judged on evening gown, talent, interview, sportswear and academic performance and résumé.

Monica said the experience of competing was “surreal.” For the interview portion, she had to be prepared to field questions from “What is your favorite color?” to “What do you think about the closing of Guantánamo Bay?”

The evening gown and talent are her favorite parts. Monica performed a classical ballet dance for the talent portion.

Dancing for her entire life, Monica said it says who she is.

“It’s something I do to get all the emotions out of me,” she said.

Monica also competed in the Miss America’s Outstanding Teen and placed fifth.

Through the program Monica has received $8,000 for college and already knows where she would like to spend it.

The junior wants to get a bachelor’s degree in business with an emphasis in accounting at USC en route to becoming a chief financial officer of a Fortune 500 company.

Monica was presented with a commendation at a City Council meeting Oct. 5 for winning Miss California’s Outstanding Teen.

She presented each member of the council with an energy-efficient light bulb to reinforce her platform issue of environmental awareness at the pageants.

Reduce, reuse and recycle is the message she is trying to promote during her time in office.

Monica said she grew up doing beach clean-ups with her family and is a part of the Surfrider Foundation and the Amigos de Bolsa Chica.

“I just wanted to do something where I can feel close to the city ... and something on a wider scale,” she said.

With a lot on her plate, Monica said she is just excited to see what will happen each day.

“I just want to be a successful person and I want to see what each day will bring,” she said.