Douglas High graduate represents state in Miss USA competition

Lauren Scyphers, a 2004 Douglas High School graduate, was crowned Miss Nevada USA in November and will compete for the Miss USA 2006 title, April 21 in Baltimore, Md. The competition will be televised and the winner will spend a year in New York.

"She will be representing Nevada," said Scypher's mother Patty Scyphers of Gardnerville. "I'm so excited. I just want her to follow her heart and just go for it. This is her dream."

Last year, Lauren competed against 17 other contestants from Nevada to earn her Miss Nevada USA 2006 title. Then 19, Lauren was crowned at the conclusion of the competition, which was held on Nov. 13, a day before her birthday, at the Horn Theater in North Las Vegas.

Lauren lives in Henderson near Las Vegas now, but previously resided in Gardnerville, attending Scarselli Elementary School, Pau-Wa-Lu Middle School and graduating Douglas High. Her brother Billy Scyphers, 18, is a senior at Douglas High and her sister, Lindsey Scyphers, 13, is an eighth grader at Pau-Wa-Lu. The Scyphers moved to Carson Valley in 1995.

Lauren is now attending school at Southern Nevada Community College in Las Vegas and has worked as a church secretary as well as doing modeling with four agencies, according to her mother.

She has extensive dance training - ballet en pointe, tap, jazz and musical theater - including acting in a Western Nevada Community College production of West Side Story.

"She's always enjoyed acting and dancing, ballet, tap, jazz, musical theater and modeling," said her mother. "She just enjoys this whole world."

Lauren also likes to snowboard, wakeboard and participate in sports.

She held the title of Miss Carson Valley 2004 and she placed fourth at the Miss Nevada State pageant in 2004, representing the Miss America Organization.

Lauren's platform during the Miss America Organization competition was "Encouraging the Youth of America to Vote," during which she made appearances at elementary schools and Douglas High School to help educate the students on the importance of voting and that their vote matters, according to a spokesperson for Nevada USA Pageants.

As Miss Nevada USA 2006, Lauren received a total prize package worth over $10,000 in cash, services or products, including $1,000 cash, Built2Win Personal Trainer, DETNY Shoes, cosmetic smile consulting by Dr. Willardsen, an all-expense paid trip to the Miss USA 2006 pageant and more.

Throughout the Miss Nevada USA pageant, the delegates competed in evening gown, swim suit and interview competitions.

"After many years of working in pageants, I feel extremely confident that Lauren Scyphers will be a great representation of the state of Nevada," said executive state director Maureen Atwell. "I know she will make us proud as she goes on to compete for the title of Miss USA in April."

Final Results:

n First runner up, Anjuli Wright from Summerlin

n Second runner up, Michele Freeman from Washoe Valley

n Third runner up, Kristy Dennis from Sparks

n Fourth runner up, Jeralee Henry from Sunrise Manor

The rest of the top ten are Elizabeth Muto from Green Valley, Alayna Card from Fallon, Elizabeth Schirra from Rhodes Ranch, Hannah Hindi from Green Valley and Shaunisty Ross from Las Vegas.

The Miss Universe Organization, producers of the Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA Pageants, is a Donald J. Trump and NBC partnership. The Miss Universe Organization is committed to increasing awareness of breast and ovarian cancers through organizations committed to research and education, such as the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund, Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, Gilda's Club and the National Alliance of Breast Cancer Organizations.

More information is available on the Web site www.MissNevadaUSA.com. The Web site will be updated Feb. 25.