by Larry Oskin
By Larry Oskin
Congratulations to Michaela McLean of Clermont, for being crowned our new Miss Florida 2019! McLean ran in this statewide competition against 40 other women as the current Miss Florida Citrus, where she was just crowned in March. She was previously Miss Florida’s Outstanding Teen 2014, placing in the Top 10 at the 2015 Miss America Outstanding Teen Pageant. She will soon be competing on December 19 at the Miss America Competition at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT.
Clermont & National Honors: Originally from Clermont, McLean grew up here in the South Lake area. She graduated from East Ridge High School, where she was very active in dance and musical theatre productions. Her favorite Clermont restaurants include the Clermont Brewing Company, Calabria’s Italian Restaurant, and Twistee Treat Ice Cream. She adds, “I have always loved Twistee Treat’s vanilla ice cream with rainbow sprinkles!” She has continually been training with Shooting Stars School of Performing Arts since she was 7. McLean graduated from the University of Alabama with a double major in Dance and Public Relations with a special concentration in Sport and Entertainment Communications Management.
With training from her long-time Clermont coach Melissa Stokes, McLean was honored as the National Victory Cup competition winner, achieving the highest scores in competitive dance. McLean also trained with the Radio City Rockettes. She danced in “Dance Alabama!” and “Alabama Repertoire Dance Theatre.” For her Miss Florida talent, Michaela performed a lyrical dance to the song, “You Say,” by Lauren Daigle. Stokes will help McLean sharpen her dance talent for the national competition. McLean notes, “I am working to sharpen my communication skills, stay up-to-date on current events, exercise daily, and ultimately become the very best version of myself.” She also earned a major PR honor as a two-time recipient of the Medallion Award from the Public Relations Council of Alabama.
Miss Florida 2.0 Sponsors & Awards: Michaela McLean earned an array of wonderful prizes, which included a $15,000 scholarship and another $900 scholarship, which helped her pay off all of her undergraduate loans. She adds, “I am now debt-free!” She won a $15,000 wardrobe from the Ann Marie’s Boutique of Homestead, FL, which will help with her appearance wardrobe. Cox Chevrolet of Bradenton graciously awarded her free use of a car during her reign. The Avenue Apartments share free use of her own Lakeland apartment for the next year.
Brave & Beautiful: As the spokeswomen, Michaela McLean co-founded Brave & Beautiful three years ago with her mother, Annemarie McLean. Brave & Beautiful is a universal message that empowers young women to live, love and lead courageously. McLean hosted numerous conferences both domestically and internationally, including conferences in Kenya, Dominican Republic and Guatemala. As Miss Florida, she will share the message of Brave & Beautiful to several different groups of young women, including sorority girls, high school students, community groups, and women in prison. To learn more about Brave & Beautiful, visit www.BraveandBeautiful.net.
Family Roots In Florida Citrus Industry: Michaela McLean has deep family roots in the Florida citrus industry. As part of four generations of citrus growers, McLean’s father Ben McLean III, holds a master’s degree in fruit crops from the University of Florida. He has served as a board member of the Citrus Research and Development Foundation for the past 8 years. Michaela’s uncle, Matt McLean, is a founder of Clermont-based Uncle Matt’s Organic; the nation’s best-selling organic orange and grapefruit juice. Michaela has worked at the U-Pick for McLean Family Farms. She and her 3 younger sisters are all actively pursuing acting, singing and modeling.
Future Dreams, Aspirations & Plans: Her dreams are exciting and diverse. Her post-graduation plans include learning Spanish in Barcelona and pursuing a master’s degree in public relations. She notes, “One of my biggest dreams is to pursue a professional career on Broadway as a dance captain. I would really love to be a TV host, for soft news. I also want to be a Senior Publicist in the entertainment industry.” McLean hopes to speak and empower over 10,000 women this year, bringing her Brave & Beautiful message. She plans to speak at over 50 high schools and universities this year with her Real Talk Program about the dangers of drugs and alcohol abuse. Real Talk is an advance recovery program for drug and alcohol prevention. She just moved to Lakeland, the home city for the Miss Florida Pageant, while she will be back and forth here to Clermont.
Miss Florida 2.0 Competition selects the representative for the state of Florida in the Miss America Competition. Florida has twice won the Miss America crown. The Miss Florida Pageant began in 1922 where Eleanor Logan, from Jacksonville, represented Florida. McLean notes “The Miss Florida competition has evolved as culture has evolved. Miss America 2.0 will now be focusing on highlighting each young woman, their substance and their worth rather than focusing on their external image and beauty.” For more information on how to enter, contact Mr. Keith Williams, Executive Director at the Miss Florida Scholarship Pageant, P.O. Box 92865 Lakeland, FL 33804, 352-516-1593,Keith@MissFlorida.org and visitwww.MissFlorida.org.
EDITORIAL NOTE: Larry Oskin is a writer and photographer for the South Lake Tablet. He is also the owner of Marketing Solutions / Art Beautique, offering creative marketing, media relations and professional fine art photography services. He is a board member of the Clermont Downtown Partnership and the Clermont Historic Village.
