The future Miss USA?

Jeffersonton resident Samantha Casey, 21, has her sights set on a career in the entertainment industry.
And she’s well on her way, thanks to a long history competing in local and state pageants and an abundance of public appearances.

The 2006 graduate of Warrenton’s Highland School won the Miss Virginia USA 2010 title Nov. 21 in Virginia Beach and will compete on NBC during the Miss USA 2010 pageant in Las Vegas on April 18.
“I would love to get into acting,” said Casey, sitting at a dining table in her home located in northern Culpeper County Tuesday afternoon. “I would not have that ability without pageantry.”

Casey, a senior at the College of William & Mary, is getting used to the attention — she won Miss Virginia Teen USA in 2006 and was third runner up in the Miss Teen USA pageant in 2006.

She says being on stage and in front of the camera is exciting.
“I like being in the spotlight,” added Casey, who makes two to three appearances a week.
Casey, who’ll get a chance to meet event organizer Donald Trump next month in Florida, says meeting powerful people is an opportunity to break into the entertainment field.
“It’s really about networking,” she said.

Trump and NBC Universal own and produce the Miss USA, Miss Teen and Miss Universe pageants.
Casey, who competed against 15 girls to win the crown last month, says the exposure that comes along with pageants allows her to highlight some serious issues.

In addition to taking online classes at the College of William & Mary this semester (in order to focus on pageants), Casey also speaks at venues for Love146, an organization that creates awareness and fights against child trafficking and exploitation.
“This is something that I’m try-ing to promote as much as I possi-bly can because it is very promi-nent in the news right now,” said Casey, who learned about this issue from a friend a few years ago. “This is just disgusting and disturbing.”

If her hectic schedule doesn’t keep her busy enough, Casey’s strenuous workout routine of six to seven times a week for two to three hours a day at the Gold’s Gym in Warrenton keeps her 5-foot-9-inch frame slender.
“Plus, I have a very strict diet,” reveals Casey, who eats fish, white meat, spinach salad with cabbage, tuna and drinks lots of water when she’s preparing for a competition. “You have to be pretty strict with it comes to this stuff. Pretty much anything that’s not absolutely delicious, I eat.”
But that wasn’t the case after winning Miss Virginia USA last month.

Casey celebrated with a large cheese and pepperoni pizza from Chanello’s in Virginia Beach.
“It’s time for the Miss Virginia pageant to have somebody that’s going to really use this crown to the fullest like going out and pro-moting the heck out of this pageant,” Casey said. “I’m honored to win.”

Casey said she began competing in pageants at the age of 14 and has participated in a total of eight pageants, ranking at least top five in all.
A military brat, Casey was born in California and has lived in 12 different places before settling in Culpeper eight years ago.
“This is the final destination,” she said.

Jacqueline Carroll, 15, of Stanardsville won the Miss Teen USA 2010 during the same night. Casey and Carroll each received $100,000 prize packages that include a four-year college scholar-ship.
Casey, a senior at the College of William & Mary, is pursuing a degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing and entrepreneurship. She has a 3.7 GPA.

Her parents, John and Laura Casey, live in Jeffersonton.
Carroll, a sophomore at United Christian Academy, plans to pur-sue a law degree at Lindenwood University in Missouri. Her par-ents, Theresa and Luther Vann, and sisters Jennifer and Jillian live in Stanardsville.