Miss New York’s Outstanding Teen Maria DeSantis walked the runway as the second Miss America's Outstanding Teen on August 19, 2006 in the Linda Chapin Theater at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL. This historic crowning moment marked her first steps on a journey that will take her across the country promoting scholastic achievement, creative accomplishment, community involvement and healthy living for our nation's youth.
Through an official partnership with the US Dream Academy, DeSantis will help improve the outlook of America's young people by increasing literacy through creative mentoring. She will also continue work on her personal platform of getting teens involved in the fight against cancer.
DeSantis, a 17-year-old Staten Island resident, attends Staten Island Technical High School. She studies AP courses in Math, Russian, Chemistry, English and Macroeconomics in the most rigorous high school on Staten Island.
A sister company to the Miss America Organization, Miss America's Outstanding Teen promotes scholastic achievement, creative accomplishment, healthy living and community involvement for America's teens. The 2006 competition was held at the Linda Chapin Theater, Orange County Convention Center from August 15-19.
Additional information about Miss America's Outstanding Teen, as well as updated competition news and downloadable images, can be found at www.MAOTeen.org.
