Menomonie (Press Release) - Danielle Hooper is on the fast track to
get her undergraduate degree in 3.5 years from University of Wisconsin-Stout.
The 20-year-old junior majoring in retail merchandising and
management has hit an unexpected roadblock, however. On Nov. 25, Hooper, 20,
was crowned Miss Minnesota USA 2013 at the Burnsville Performing Arts Center.
Hooper is "very excited" about her upcoming yearlong reign,
one that promises to be highly educational in itself, but it could mean she will
have to go to school part time for a semester and graduate in four years.
With the tiara nestled firmly in her blonde hair, her
schedule in 2013 promises to be filled with appearances in the Twin Cities area
— about 75 miles from UW-Stout — and beyond. In addition, she will be preparing
for the Miss USA pageant next summer.
"I don't want to give my schoolwork less than 100 percent,
and I don't want to give this title less than 100 percent," she said. "They
both deserve as much attention as I can give them. I'm trying to figure out at
this point what I can handle."
She does have one thing figured out: What she would like to
accomplish as Miss Minnesota USA.
"Being Miss Minnesota USA is a very glamorous position, but
I really want to emphasize that the women who compete are intelligent and make
a difference and are not just another pretty face. I want to emphasize the
influence you have with the title," she said.
She hopes to raise awareness about Habitat for Humanity, a
national nonprofit organization that builds homes for families in need. She
helped build four homes in Florida last year.
That experience helped her the night she won the pageant.
Her on-stage question as one of the final five contestants was what charity she
would like to help if she won. With the national housing crisis and after
Hurricane Sandy "a lot of people are in need. I would like to continue working
with Habitat for Humanity," she told the judges.
"I was really happy I got that question because the service
part of the title is what's really important to me," she said.
Libby Watkins, assistant director of the pageant, is
confident Hooper will make a great Miss Minnesota USA. "Danielle is not
only gorgeous but quick on her feet and personable. Not to mention, she
has a passion for charity work. I know she will represent Minnesota well
while making appearances across the state and by forging
alliances with many organizations this year. I imagine she will be a strong
contender for the Miss USA title," Watkins said.
Second year in contest
Hooper, from the St. Paul suburb of Inver Grove Heights,
Minn., entered Miss Minnesota USA last year and made the top 12 but was not a
top five finalist.
Contestants are judged over two days on personal interviews,
swimsuit and evening gown competitions and final interview questions.
Her goal in the pageant this year was simply to reach the
top five. "If I hadn't gotten any further, I would have been OK with it. The
top five are all amazing women, all gorgeous and worthy. I was just honored to
have been up there at that point," she said.
Hooper especially enjoyed the evening gown portion of the
competition because she hopes to become a product buyer in the retail industry
after graduating from UW-Stout. "It was so fun for me picking out the evening
gown because I love women's fashion," said Hooper, who someday would like to
own a bridal salon.
She is enjoying the retail merchandising and management
courses at UW-Stout. Her concentration is buying and product management. She
has received the Chancellor Award each semester for maintaining a high
grade-point average.
"The program gives you a whole perspective of retail and
gets you so well-prepared for the workforce," she said. For more information on
the program, go to www.uwstout.edu/programs/bsrmm.
Hooper also works part time in the university Financial Aid
Office.
Hooper has been in dance since age four but said she was
very shy growing up. She didn't enter any pageants until Miss Minnesota Teen
USA while in high school. She did so only at the urging of her mother.
"I thought, ‘What have I got to lose? I said I'll give it a
shot,' " she said, adding that she still is a quiet person in general. "Moms do
know best. I'm hoping this pageant will help pull me out of my shell a little
bit."
When her name was announced as the winner, she said that all
she could think of was her parents and family in the audience and how excited
they were. Her father, Tom, is a sheriff's deputy in Dakota County, Minn.,
while her mother, Shelly, is a nurse at Bethesda Hospital in St. Paul. Danielle
has sisters ages 19 and 14.
"I thought I was dreaming," she said. "It still hasn't hit
me."
