Vanessa Chambe Crowned Miss Oakland County Outstanding Teen

This year's Miss Oakland County Outstanding Teen Vanessa Chambe plans to spend her year promoting an organization she joined in kindergarten. 

"I love Girl Scouting, and my goal is to keep more girls involved," the 14-year-old St. Clair Shores resident said.

Chambe was one of six contestants vying for the title this afternoon at the in Farmington Hills. The pageant is "open", so contestants do not have to live in Oakland County. Others competing were:

• Charlotte Sahutske, 14, of Northville
• Ursula Fuller, 15, of Detroit - 1st runner-up
• Diana Davis, 13, of Clawson
• Erica Rose Kennedy, 15, of Lapeer - 2nd runner-up 
• Alana Rae Wilson, 16, of Monroe

As the pageant drew to a close, the contestants held hands on stage and awaited the announcement of the winner. Chambe said she was "very anxious, nervous and very excited" and when her name was called, "It was a great moment." 

She said she started competing in pageants a few years ago, because "I wanted to gain more confidence in myself, and I have."

Chambe's mother, Karla Chambe, said she supported her daughter's involvement because the Outstanding Teen pageant is about more than outward beauty. "It's for scholarships and community service ... and being able to interview. It's about bettering yourself, you have to be a well-rounded person," she said.