KENTUCKY'S MISS USA AMAZED AT FAME, NEW GOOGLE GLORY
By Barbara Isaacs
HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER
A little more than a week ago, Tara Conner was just a girl from Russell Springs.
But Conner, 20, Kentucky's first Miss USA, is now in a media whirlwind.
"The craziest thing is you go on these TV shows and you're considered to be a celebrity," Conner said Friday. "I Googled my name. Before this, there were about three things you might pull up on me. Now I'm posted up beside people like Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. It's very bizarre for me."
During the past week, Conner has been interviewed by more people than she can remember. She's been seen on the 24-hour cable news networks and even placed her Mikimoto pearl crown on Kelly Ripa on Live with Regis and Kelly.
She's looking forward to her return to Kentucky -- she's planning to be at the Kentucky Derby on Saturday.
"I'm very happy that I brought something so great to my town and to Kentucky," Conner said.
And in some ways, she's still amazed at the turn of events.
"I'm not that lucky," she said. "When it comes to raffle tickets, lottery tickets, drawings, I'm not the lucky one."
She thinks she may have had an edge because she was comfortable on stage and with the TV cameras. She has been a swimsuit model for Body Glove, which makes a variety of products related to surfing and snorkeling.
But she also likes the interview part of the pageant.
"It's my favorite part," she said. "A lot of people get scared, but I go up there thinking that I finally get to speak, so that people know what I'm all about."
Conner is the first to admit that she's a hometown girl, so her sudden change of address -- she's now living in an apartment at the Trump Tower in New York City -- was a bit of a shock.
"If I can survive in New York for a year, I can survive anything," she said. "It's a crash course in living on my own and being strong. ... I'm going to miss my family and friends, but this is good for me."
Conner said she remembers watching the Miss USA pageant when she was about 13 and telling her mother that she wanted to be that girl some day.
"She said, 'Honey, if that's what you want to do, just try your hardest,'" Conner said. "My family has been behind me 115 percent."
Before becoming Miss USA, she was almost always low-key -- she thinks it's funny that she was not always as put together as her mom would like.
"I'm probably the most unorthodox pageant girl you'll ever meet," Conner said. Her usual wardrobe is sweatpants and a hoodie, and her hair is often in a ponytail. "My mom should be proud that I've worn lipstick every day for a full month now," she said with a laugh.
Conner said she's already thought about her life after Miss USA. Her dream job would be in acting or as an entertainment reporter.
She's also had to make at least one six-hour shopping trip, to begin to build her wardrobe for her role as Miss USA.
She said it was fun, but not thrilling.
"I'm not a huge fan of shopping," she said, adding that she isn't like many young women who enjoy shopping as relaxation.
"If I'm upset, I'll either call my mom, clean something really hard or pray really hard," she said. "But not shopping."
Source: http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/14463986.htm
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