Local Beauty Looks to Take Home Pageant Prize
Charlana Brown
By Brandon I. Brooks
Sentinel Entertainment Editor
Â
‘Miss City of Angels’ Charlana Brown looks to take home ‘Miss California USA’ and ‘Miss California Teen USA’
‘Miss City of Angels’, Charlana Brown is running for ‘Miss California USA’ and ‘Miss California Teen USA’. The pageants take at the end of November (Nov. 20-22, 2009), in Palm Springs, California.
A native of Detroit Michigan, Brown moved to Los Angeles when she was just seven years old. Brown is one of four children and she comes from a very athletic family.
Early on, Charlana Brown was known for playing tennis locally at the Rancho Cienega Recreation Center. She pretty much grew up at the recreation center playing tennis and perfecting her sport. Brown was very talented and shared with the Sentinel that she could have played professionally. Brown received a tennis scholarship to Florida A&M University and played there for four years. She thought about pursuing a professional career but Brown shared that playing tennis for so many years, since the age of 8, took its toll and by the time she graduated from college, Brown was ready to embark on something new in life.
Even though Brown decided to stop playing competitively she couldn’t stay away from the sport. Now Brown devotes her spare time to teaching tennis at the Challengers Boys and Girls Club located on Vermont Boulevard in Los Angeles. The Vermont Blvd. boys and girls club has an outstanding tennis facility.
After returning to Los Angeles Charlana Brown took interest in entertainment and landed some awesome internships with heavyweight companies such as Entertainment Tonight, BET and yours truly, the Los Angeles Sentinel Newspaper. Brown’s internship opportunities led her to work alongside many top journalists in the business and even have the opportunity herself to interview celebrities such as Neyo, Adam Sandler and Bill Mahr.
As a member of the Black Journalist Association of Southern California, Brown takes journalism very seriously and shared with the Sentinel that she will continue to pursue her career, as opportunities show fit. Brown shared with the Sentinel that she one day hopes to start her own non-profit organization. Brown hates that so many inner-city girls seem to be getting pregnant at a premature age. Brown said that as a mentor and with the start of her own non-profit organization, in the next few years she would like to assist inner-city teens with pregnancy education and hygiene awareness.
Brown has spent countless hours giving back and in the last few years recognized that she truly has a strong passion for her community. As a member of Habitat for Humanity, Brown has assisted in building homes in urban areas for lower income families.
With all that Charlana Brown has accomplished it’s no wonder she is a top candidate for representing California at Miss USA 2010. The program will be televised nationally on NBC.
Last year, Brown participated in her first pageant. Call it beginners luck if you want but the girl won the prize. The pageant prize was for the title of Black Model of the year. The experience was amazing for Charlana Brown and led her to believe she could win Miss California. Brown never saw herself as a “pageant girl” but because of her background in broadcast journalism, Brown seems to be a natural on stage and in front of the camera. She has the confidence to step out in any environment and flex her intelligence and beauty.
“I’m pretty confident with my body, I don’t mind putting on a swimsuit”, Brown shared with the Sentinel. “All those years of tennis, I don’t mind putting on a swimsuit and a smile, that’s natural anyway so I thought I would be a good candidate.”
Brown is very excited to be part of the pageants for Miss California USA and Miss California Teen USA 2010 and shared with the Sentinel that her main focus no matter the outcome is to continue to give back to the community that raised her.
“I have always committed myself to my community here in Los Angeles. I moved here when I was really young but I consider myself to be from here and I stay active in the community. I am a positive person and I want to take the title so I can represent so many young girls who probably don’t think that they can do something like this. I believe that I can do it”.
For more information on the Miss California pageant, please visit www.misscaliforniausa.com
